so we labor

 I really love to go outside and walk. When the weather is even close to tolerable, I don’t miss a day. 

This past holiday season, paired with my new sourdough obsession, gifted me an unfortunate ten extra pounds. Eager to get the scale moving in the other direction, I decided to exchange my walk for a slow jog.

Before I left my street, I had to give myself a little pep talk. I was going to look super dorky. It wasn’t going to be as enjoyable as a walk because it would be work. People driving by might laugh at me because I might look like a wannabe runner. With those things settled in my mind, I set out on my first jog in years. 

It was embarrassing. I must have looked ridiculous, barely picking my feet up off the ground, but bouncing a little as I trudged along. It wasn’t my lungs burning that forced me to take breaks it was my hip aching. (Admitting that makes me feel so old.)

Penny and Sparrow have a song called “Just and Just As.” It came up on my playlist as I was jogging down a long stretch of the sidewalk. Each time my foot struck the ground, it was right in time with the words of the bridge “so we labor.” It repeats and builds into this anthem of determination. I couldn’t help but notice the parallels between my embarrassingly novice jogging and my Christian walk. 

As a runner, I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m just trying to do the right things. Asking questions, researching shoes, and then going out and awkwardly doing it. Just like every day, I start with Jesus, asking what He wants me to do, hoping He will cue me in, and then asking how to do it along the way. Mostly I just do things and hope they are the right things. I’m messy and awkward, trying and failing, sometimes succeeding and lots of times failing miserably. Feeing like a goofy misfit, but doing it anyway. Being obedient isn’t always smooth sailing, but it delivers a satisfaction that is indescribable.