A Year Has Passed

One year ago I signed up to be in a 5K in Meadowbrook here in Birmingham. It was supposed to be a beautiful day. I could walk the entire course. I was familiar with the area. Lots of great door prizes. Etc., etc. etc. Sounded okay to me.

Well, now let me insert some honest self-talk here...I did NOT want to do it. I was just starting the journey to being healthy and it was kicking my hiney. I had lost about 15 lbs so far but had such a long way to go. I had no running clothes...which was fine considering I wasn't going to be running anyway. At that point I had only walked two miles.

I arrive and there is a multitude of high schoolers who look like they run track on a daily basis. That does NOTHING to encourage an overweight mom of five. I see friends who are in good shape and look like they just finished running 5 miles to warm up. Jealousy and envy ensues. The desire to be like them in my physical body takes over and I feel lousy. Years of regret, bad decisions, poor choices and just outright sin come flooding back. How could I have messed up this badly and gotten to this point? Everybody has at least one issue that they struggle with...why can't I have her issue? God (AGAIN) reminds me that I'm not exactly succeeding in my own struggle...why would I want another....ummm, thanks Lord?

The race (ha...it's NO race for me) starts and I walk with one of my brothers. He's been a runner before and wants to pick it back up again. Running is NOT for me. I can barely run one minute. Did I mention I had only walked 2 miles at this point? And, I tried the couch to 5K program, and I was out of breath by the second walk point (that's less than two minutes running). We ran...VERY LITTLE...and by VERY LITTLE, I mean maybe 1/16 of a mile total. It was pitiful. I finished in over 48 minutes. That's 16 minutes per mile. The first finisher completed the race about the same time I finished the first mile. That's how slow I was.

But, I finished. And, it was the beginning of something much bigger than I could have imagined. It was the push toward running that I needed. It showed me that God would sustain me when I thought I couldn't go on. He would enable my body to develop discipline over time. He would set my foot to a trail or pavement or wherever He showed me to run. He would finish the race. I just had to be obedient to His call.

It's been the hardest journey of my life, but it has shown me God in new ways. It has given me a more intimate time with Him each day. Getting healthy for His glory has changed my outlook on life...and shown me so much more than I could have imagined a year ago.

And it began with one keystroke on the computer to find a local 5K. It started with completing a form and sending it in. And, then the first step of that race. That's how it began for me. A year later I am awed by what God has done.

Today, you can begin with one little step....what will it be?