Running- A Letter to my Children

I have come home hot, sweaty, and tired a few nights a week. You ask me, "Mommy, why are you so sweaty? Are you tired?". Yes babies, I'm tired. Very tired.

Running is not easy for me. I have never considered myself a runner. I do not enjoy it much. It's hard. Recently having 3 babies has made it even harder. I don't like the cramps and the aches that accompany it. I want to spit on the ground and quit. I get frustrated when I have a goal of running so much further, but can only make it a few miles.

I don't run because I like it, I run because its good for me. I run because I need to do the hard in order to be a stronger, healthier person. I run because God tends to teach us the most when we do things that are not comfortable. When I start running down that long road, I sometimes tell myself that I can't make it that far. God immediately speaks to me and reminds that I am right where He want me to be. So tired and sweaty I run further.

I want you to see me exhausted. I want you to watch me work hard for things that are good. I desire for you to wake up at 7:00am to a mommy that has spent time in the Word and has prayed for your little hearts. I will be tired because 5:00am can be hard, but it is good. I desire for you to watch me clean, wipe dirty faces, and give millions of hugs until 8:00pm, because it is good.  I desire for you to watch me and your daddy make obedient, difficult decisions for this family and still smile at the end of it day. That is good.

Our culture teaches us to be comfortable. Don't believe it. Hebrews 11 talks of some of the most influential people in the Bible. Read it. Study their lives. They worked hard. I am sure they came home tired and sweaty. I am sure God asked them to do things that seemed impossible. They obeyed and they received many eternal blessings.

Throughout my life, I have ran from the uncomfortable too many times. It gets tiring. However, when I do the hard, I receive peace and true joy. I will continue to run because I need to, not because I want to. I pray throughout your lives you will watch me work hard for what is good. I will make mistakes and I will want to quit, but life is like running down that impossibly long road. Its really not that far.