stop light

Running has become a daily part of my exercise routine. I often run along Main Street, past the cemeteries, along the small row of mom-and-pop shops, through the park, then beside the river's edge until I reach the quaint setting of downtown.

Out of this aerobic ritual I have developed a special program. Downtown Mishawaka is filled with numerous stop lights. So many, in fact, that every time I get stopped by one I get down and do push-ups until the light turns green. By the end, not only have I completed a 30-40 minute run, I have also completed between 80-120 push-ups. I look at other runners around town and wonder why they too haven't adopted this workout plan. It's a perfect plan! You can work and develop other muscles while you're stopped at a light doing nothing!

I have become an expert at applying this concept to my running regime, but it's a whole different story when it comes to my personal life. You see, there are times where I am focused on achieving one thing, convinced that the struggles I am going through and the path I am on are exactly where God wants me to grow. Yet, when a stoplight suddenly shows up in my life, I am often too focused on achieving my first goal that I become blinded to seeing that God actually wants to grow me in a completely different muscle group.

I earnestly pray and desire that I can become a man that is sensitive to the voice and guidance of the Holy Spirit, rather than my own.

"This is what the Lord says- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: 'I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea'."
~Isaiah 48:17-18