As you may have noticed, I have been absent from this blog and from most social media. In February, I completed the Glass Slipper Challenge (10K plus a half marathon…also the 5K for kicks) at Walt Disney World. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt more accomplished. I will write a full post on this (with pictures!) at a later date. I returned from that trip, and almost immediately got the flu. I have been feeling pretty crummy ever since. I went to the doctor and he assures me it is not serious and it will go away. I just have to wait it out.
Waiting…it is something I have never been good at. Yet somehow, it is something God continually wants me to do. Doing nothing can be so much more difficult than doing something. Just when it seemed like I figured out what made me the happiest, that part of my life was taken away. It may only be temporary, but it has still been difficult. My biggest stress relief has been taken from me during a time when I very badly need stress relief.
“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” (Isaiah 48:10) God uses all sorts of circumstances, large and small, to refine us. We learn something in each trial, and become stronger in the process. What I am learning is that this situation is no different than half marathon training. It took strength, endurance, focus, and determination to prepare for that race. When things got difficult, I kept my eyes on the end goal. Now, I must do the same. No matter how frustrating this might be, I have to stay focused. If this means I have to rest when I want to run, so be it. If it means I have to start over completely as a new runner, so be it. It may look like doing nothing, but is it really?
You can do ALL things through Christ, which strengthens you.