"Will you run with me?"~ God

     It's been years since I've laced up my tennis shoes and gone running. That's why, as I prayed over my 2020 goals, I was shocked to learn of my desire to run another marathon. But this time, be able to finish the race under the five hour mark. You read that correctly. I am by no means a professional runner. The first marathon I signed up for was November 2013, with a finish time of 5:35. It was only 21 degrees at the start...and I literally couldn't feel my feet for the first mile. The high for the day was a scorching 32 degrees. So cold! Then I ran another one a few months later in 2014 and ended with a 5:41 finishing time. This second run had a two hour delayed start time...I hadn't eaten anything...and was starving. I ended up walking a lot while eating fist fulls of their free pretzels and the m&m's I brought along with me. To say I could do better, would be an understatement.

     With only a few months left in this year, I looked at my goals hanging on my bedroom wall and began to chat with God about them. "Is running a marathon something that I really want to do? Do I really want to invest all the effort and time needed into training?" I asked Him. "It would be for you." He replied. I agreed...it would be a good thing for me to do for my own health. After all, another of my 2020 goals is to get to a healthy weight. There's no number for this. I simply want to be at the best fitness level I can be for my body height. So, as I chatted with my Father I asked, "Do you think a half marathon would be good enough?" At that point I knew on the inside that I was just trying to take the easy way out. And that's when He asked me..."Will you run with Me?"

Those words made my heart jump. Oh, how I love God! And He wants to run with little 'ol me! This immediately reminded me of when I was a kid and God played in the snow with me after a big snowfall. And the time He playfully said, "Let's climb a tree!" and we did. 

     All these memories flooded my mind of when God spoke to me. I don't mean an audible voice. His voice is a still, small voice, inside. It grabs your heart at every word uttered. 

John 10:27 says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" 

I began thinking that maybe, just maybe, there could be other people out there in the world that would like to come along with me on this mission to master this marathon. Uh, again...5 hours is technically not a master of arts finishing time...but for me, for me it would be amazing! Over these next few months in training I'm hoping to share with you my God, my Savior, my Deliverer, my Father, my Friend. Won't you join me as I prepare for running a marathon with God?!