Ashes and Dust

It's been a journey, a long one for sure.  I never would have thought that 3 weeks into my journey I would still be living and accomplishing the same goals.  Oh there have been more than just a few times where I have wanted to quit, but in His sovereignty the Lord sustains me with His grace and I hear other voices singing a much different tune:  Don't quit!  I've learned some things along the way; like never eat dinner before running, be careful when getting back on the elliptical as a simple mishap could lead to serious injury, always have water with you, etc.  But there are few more profound things that I've discovered along the beaten path that I'd like to share.

Someone asked me recently if I was preparing for a race of some sort, perhaps a 5K or marathon.  I began to chuckle on my innards at the mere thought of it, and then I thought about the true race that I was in.  There's a verse in the Bible about forgetting what lies behind and looking toward what's ahead, and running as one to win the prize.  Yes, that is what all of this was about.  For years of my life I have watched the dust of apathy settle in on my sneakers and the cobwebs of complacency cover my dreams.  The promises of God seemed as warm and yet as distant as the rays of sunshine, slightly comforting and yet far beyond reach.  My jog through life was leading me nowhere but to death.  It was time to shake the dust off my sneakers and lace up for real, after all, it is my God who has beckoned me.

There was yet something else still.  I have been overwhelmed (in a good way) at the response I have received from this blog.  Emails, messages, chats, and conversations have all confirmed one thing in this:  I am not alone.  Some face possible surgeries recommended by medical staff while others can't carry the weight of their shame and feel the nauseating despair of themselves anymore.  It seems as if at every bend of this narrow road the people of God are rising up out of the ashes to claim the victory in Jesus for themselves.  The ashes fall to the wayside as rays of hope infiltrate their souls from a God who is all and bigger than all.  Yes, the dust is settling and the ashes are blowing away as the winds of change blow through and remind us of a God who is making all things new...