Stronger

I went running yesterday, all by myself! No stroller, no kids on bikes -- just me. It was so strange to be alone. It was so different to run free, without an extra load to carry (besides the 16 week-old baby in my tummy, of course). :-)

It caused me to ponder (it was SO quiet, without kids!) and I thought about how hard it is to run with a stroller. It is not comfortable, it is extra weight to push, I have to alternate arms, it is awkward, and I can't go very fast. As I ran free it was MUCH easier. I could move BOTH arms at the same time! I started to resent the fact that I had to push the stroller, daily. Running free was so much better! Surely, I could increase my results running on my own, free, without the extra load . . . .

But then I realized . . . sometimes, it is about something "bigger" than me and my desires. Sometimes our trials (stroller-pushing in this case) are causing us to unknowingly prepare for something in the future. Sometimes, our trials can give us the strength we need, to accomplish even greater future tasks.

(Image taken in 2007)

My thoughts turned to my experience this summer, when I was called to be a Trek parent. I was not scared. I was ready. I had been pushing my handcart for years! When most of the other women (and men) were chaffed, blistered, and exhausted -- I was none of those things. I was fine. I had been prepared. Even before Trek I had an image of myself pushing a handcart, while I was out pushing all three of my kids in the stroller. That brief "image" was not my imagination -- it came to pass! God had been preparing me, physically and spiritually, even though I was unaware what I was preparing for!

I think we all have something that we would rather do without, or a load we would rather NOT carry. But we never know when that extra load is EXACTLY what we need to prepare us for something that is to come. God knows all things and He can help us be ready for future endeavors. He can prepare us, even when we have no idea that "preparation" is what is happening!

Think about your life. Think about your trials. Consider how those trials have made you stronger. Not because you wanted to be stronger, but because God needed you to be. God works in miraculous ways.

After I came home from my "free" run, I let go of my stroller-resentment and instead expressed my gratitude for the extra load I get to carry. I am grateful for it, I am stronger for it. It will still be hard, yes. But one day . . . I may need that strength, again! Who knows what the future may hold? God will make us strong enough -- if we will let Him. :-)

This video is fantastic . . . I keep thinking about that lady who was screaming with fear. It is a powerful visual of terror, in contrast with being at peace. If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear. Amazing. We do live in "tumultuous times" and spiritual strength is needed -- more now than ever -- to face the future with faith. Be prepared and be at peace.