Stretch Break

Post #12 of Sarah’s Post-It Note Inspirations Blog Series

Scenario 1…

It’s a sunny Saturday morning, perfect morning for a run. I take my time eating breakfast and drinking coffee, and then lace up my running shoes and head out the door. I am enjoying the sun against my skin, the feeling in my legs as they push me forward, and the quickening of my breathe creating a steady rhythm.

After mile one, I feel tired and weak. My legs feel like heavy rocks. My breathe is becoming less and less relaxed, and my goal of completing a six mile run seems less and less attainable. After completing mile two, I realize that I need to take a stretch break if I still want to be able to run four more miles. I find a tree or a pole or a curb and stretch my muscles. I let my breathe slow down. Although my legs feel weak, I don’t sit down, I don’t give up. After a few minutes, I am back running. I have to run slower and take one more stretch break, but I make it through the rest of the run.

On these sort of days, a stretch break is necessary just to keep going. Even after a break, we may still fall short of completing our goals. Although on these days we may feel broken and disappointed, we should not doubt what God can do with our disappointment. During these times, we must lean on His promises; that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts; that He will be near to the brokenhearted and heal us of our pain and sufferings.

Scenario 2…

It’s a sunny Saturday morning, perfect morning for a run. I take my time eating breakfast and drinking coffee, and then lace up my running shoes and head out the door. I am enjoying the sun against my skin, the feeling in my legs as they push me forward, and the quickening of my breathe creating a steady rhythm.

After mile one, I feel strong and energized. My legs feel like feathers. My breathe is forming a perfect rhythm, and my goal of completing a six mile run seems very attainable. After completing mile two, I still feel great and decide to take a different turn so that I can run a little longer today. It’s not until I finish my run that I stop to stretch. I let my breathe slow down, and feel the sense of accomplishment inside of me.

Even on these days, even when you don’t feel tired, it is still important to take a stretch break. Although on these days we feel strong and accomplished, it’s important to give the recognition and glory to the One who has blessed us with our ability to achieve. We need to remember that everything good that we do comes from Him, and that we couldn’t do it without Him.

Below is a prayer that we said at my grandma and grandpa’s church when we attended with them earlier this month. My family and I found it very powerful and it goes with this post, so I thought I would share:

Gracious God, we come before you this day, admitting that we aren’t as smart as we think we are. We pray without listening for guidance. We act without considering the consequences. We judge as if we know who is worthy and who is not. Forgive us for our insufferable pride. Help us to be truly humble, that we may listen and follow where you lead. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

To conclude…

Some days may start the same with the same hopes, desires and expectations, but may end drastically differently. Because of the stumbling blocks that life may put in our way, many times we are left tired and in need of a stretch break to get us back on our feet. Other days, the stumbling blocks are fewer and we feel blessed instead of stressed. On these days when we don’t feel tired, it is still important to take a stretch break, and to humble ourselves before the Almighty.

I hope you enjoyed this One Strength post. I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions! What came to mind reading this post? How do you take “stretch breaks” throughout the day? Feel free to comment or contact me directly to share! – Sarah

Climbing an Unknown Summit

A few weeks ago, a good friend and I ventured on a little road trip. We got to explore a few different cities and go hiking in the beautiful Custer State Park in South Dakota. On our hike, we were trying to find a very specific destination, a destination that was off the normal hiking path. We had to travel on the less-taken path, push through bushes and brush, do some free climbing over large boulders, all the while not knowing where exactly we were going. Even after the challenging journey, we did not find what it was we wanted to find, but we still enjoyed the journey and the scenery. This post is based off of a few things I observed during this hike that I relate back to living as a follower of Jesus Christ.

First, I learned that the journey is much more difficult when you don’t know where you are going, when you have to go on the road less traveled. However, I believe this is what all of our life journeys are like. We may know our ultimate destination, but our path to getting there may be rocky and rough, as there isn’t one distinguished path that everyone follows. In my opinion, we are all called to take the road less traveled. This may look like chasing your passions instead of chasing the money, standing up for your faith even when it’s difficult, and listening to His calling instead of living by the rules and expectations of this world.

Often times, we may not even know what summit we are trying to climb. We work so hard and forget to look up, or get caught up by a stumbling block that blinds us, that we sometimes lose sight of the big picture, of the beautiful summit right before us. Or maybe we find ourselves climbing the wrong summit, the one leading us away from Him, and we have to slowly make our way back down to level ground to start over again.

Throughout different points of this hike, I was afraid of taking the next step. I was afraid I wasn’t strong enough to pull myself up to the next point. I was afraid of losing my balance and falling to the rocks below. When I reached these points, I had to take a few deep breathes, tell myself I could do it, and then do it without thinking about what could go wrong.

During those times when I was afraid to take the next step, I remembered how in life God is there leading us, so we don’t have to be afraid. As you can assume from my previous post, in my life right now, I am being constantly reminded that He is here with me, especially as I am taking next steps. He is here, running right beside me. Therefore, I can run the race He has set before me in total confidence that He is there with me every step of the way, knowing that the summit I am climbing ultimately leads to Him.

Not a Sprint, but a Marathon

Post #11 of Sarah’s Post-It Note Inspirations Blog Series

I am in a time of some exciting transitions. With junior year of college, two great years of working at New Life Family Services, and running my first marathon under my belt, I have a lot to celebrate and be thankful for. I am getting ready to jump into what is in store for me next, which includes a full-time summer internship, a semester abroad in London, and the end of my college career. With so much that has now come to an end, and so much that is going to begin, I can’t help but be reminded that life is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.

Times of transition allow us to step back and reflect on what we have accomplished, and make goals for the future. Although, we realize that especially when it comes to the big things in life, it isn’t about checking one goal off our list and moving onto the next one, but it is about enjoying the present moment, even when we are in the midst of difficult circumstances. Just like a marathon, many things in life take hard training and commitment in order to find success and to really accomplish what it is we are set out to do.

And when it gets hard, when I feel like I can’t get past this “mile” in life, I can know for a fact that He is there, running right beside me. That He will not leave me or forsake me, that He will strengthen me. With Him beside me, anything is possible. This motivates me to dive deeper in my faith, to challenge myself, and to take risks to glorify His name; to move into the next phase of the “marathon” in total confidence that He will always be there with me.