Soreness

September 25th was the last time that I had ran a mile. I had also ran 25.2 previous miles on that day too. But since then, nothing, zilch, nada. I was tired of running and decided I would take a break. It turned out to be a long break. There were a few times that I thought about suiting up and going out into the cold...but sitting on the couch was so much more appealing! I would see those crazy people out running in the cold and I would make fun of them...even though a year ago, that was me.

Another funny thing has happened since September 25th. Something unexpected and that you will never believe...I gained weight. 15lbs to be exact. Not a lot of weight but enough to make me think. If I gain another 15lbs I will be back where i was when i did weight watchers a couple of years ago. 

So yesterday I finally went to the gym. I got on the stupid treadmill and ran a mile. 1 mile. And let me tell you, I am sore today. I ran a stinkin marathon in September and now I am sore from 1 mile. 

It's funny to me how when we quit something, it can be so hard to start it back up again. I also notice this trend in my spiritual life. If I get distracted or I let too much busyness creep in, I can tend to neglect personal time with the Lord or even opening up His Word.  I will eventually notice that something is wrong. I will see my 15 lbs of baggage, unnecessary stress, and laziness that I have put on. The cool thing is that God is loving and understanding and let's me get back on track. But let me tell you, it's not easy to just start right back up and act like nothing ever happened. There's an emotional soreness that comes with recognizing that you were undisciplined. Paul says that we are to run out the race set before us. But how does one start to run? They must first start with a walk, then a jog, then comes the running. And if you have stopped, it might take a while to get back in stride.

Take what you want from this but I take away two things...1. It's a lot better if you don't stop running in the first place and 2. God is amazing for having the patience to run with me...and stop with me...and start again with me.