LIFT

For the last year and a half the Lord has had me running. It was a physical picture of the spiritual journey He wants from me. To RUN after Him with all that I am. I am learning that to run is hard work. It takes discipline. You must learn to breathe. You must measure your steps. You must learn to press on, even when you think you can’t. You must train and find a rhythm so that you do not slow down or stop.
But in the last week or so, I have been unable to run. My knees have been bothering me. The pounding and the excessive jarring made it painful. The pain started earlier in the summer and has gotten worse and I have been frustrated because I NEED to run. I don’t want my heart to become lazy.
So earlier this week, I got on the bike. At first, it was work. There was strain on my arms and my neck, always looking up. My body wasn’t used to the rhythm of riding. I felt myself competing with myself trying to go faster and faster, instead of finding a steady speed and just stroking. Listening to my ipod and almost striving against myself, I heard the Father say…turn it off. So I reached up, turned my ipod off and began to just pedal. At first, it felt odd. But then, I could feel myself get into a rhythm. I began to discover that it wasn’t SO hard when I wasn’t fighting myself. It was in that moment, I heard Jesus say…”now you have wheels.” It took me a minute to process what I was hearing. When I realized what He was saying to me, I was overwhelmed with the graciousness of the Father.
Running is work and often feels like just pushing yourself even when you don’t want to in order to get where you need to go. But riding is a whole other story. You go farther, faster and with less stress on your body. It was in that moment that Jesus encouraged my heart by saying, I have seen your heart and the discipline and the labor of running, now I will give you wheels. You will still have to work at it and discipline your heart, but it will be less stress on you physically, if you have wheels…so you can go farther, faster. Christy, get in a rhythm. Don’t strive against yourself. Stroke and pedal, listen and breathe, worship and revel in what I am doing. Ride….and I will give you LIFT.
LIFT…now there is a word. It made me think of Isa 40:26-31.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these {stars,} the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; because of the greatness of His might and the strength of {His} power not one {of them} is missing.
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the weary, and to {him who} lacks might He increases power.
31 Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up {with} wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

He not only gives me wheels, but He gives me lift by giving me WINGS to mount up on, like the eagles, to soar…to allow the wind of the Spirit to give me lift.
As I rode the bike, it kind of felt like that. A little LIFT. To go farther faster and to gain a new perspective on the journey.
ALL FOR YOU