Yesterday my
daughter gave me a leaf.
It has dried up a bit since she gave it to me, but I was instantly fascinated by its beauty. I love how you can still
see the green veins running through it, seeing the hint of the life that used to be.
As I stared
at the leaf, taking in its beauty, I was thinking of how amazing God's creation
is. Even in something as simple as leaves
changing color, we can see the beauty of death and resurrection. As the leaves turn color and fall from the
trees each autumn, it is one of the most beautiful sights we can feast our eyes
on this side of heaven. Though we are admiring what is
essentially the death of a leaf, the loss of the leaf is necessary to ensure
survival of the tree through the winter and into spring, when new life comes
again.
As I'm in
this season where God has been showing me that beauty comes when we put the
baggage in our life to death and trust completely in his plan and promise, I
loved the parallel. I think it was
another gift from the Holy Spirit, or I've just gotten really good at telling
myself what I need to hear. You see,
the logo for the Twin Cities
Marathon….it's a leaf.
As I'm
running next Sunday, every time it gets difficult, all I will need to do to
find focus will be to look up and find a beautiful tree with colorful leaves
(of which there are many on the course) and I'll instantly be reminded of how
beautiful death and resurrection can be.
I've been
digging into 2 Corinthians in the days before I step up to run 26.2 miles. I was really moved by a few verses in chapter
4
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. (2 Corinthians 4:7-12, ESV)
In some
churches today, there is so much focus on making wise choices, things
that would ensure anyone would have a great life, with or without God, but none
of it looks like death. There is so much
focus on behavior modification and little put on true heart
transformation. I feel like the goal is
often to fight really hard to keep control of your life, make sure you had your
shit together and look like a "good Christian". But that isn't what we are promised or
called to do as a Christian.
As a disciple
of Christ, we are called to constantly be given over to death. We need to constantly be listening for the
Holy Spirit, discerning God's voice amid all of the other noise, finding places
in our lives that need to be put to death to death for Jesus sake, so that
Jesus can be manifested in our bodies.
Is there anything more beautiful than that?
I have read
and heard this so many times in my life, but it wasn't until I actually did it
that I started to understand how amazing this can be. Is there something in your life that God
wants you to put to death? Do it
today! I promise, it won't be easy, it
won't always look pretty, people might not think you have your shit together
(and you might not), but it will be beautiful.
You will feel God's presence like you never have before and it will be worth it.
Since my last
post, I have felt God's presence immensely.
I have hardly had any "dark" days and I had two really awesome
runs with a pace that is unheard of for me.
I found a 2:1 run/walk ratio on my long runs that I believe will get me
to the finish line with all of the continued support and prayers.
Death can be
scary, and death can be beautiful. Find
the beauty and let His glory shine through you.
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One more really exciting thing I wanted to share with you. Today, World Vision featured my story on their blog.
I am so thankful to have the opportunity to share how God is working in my life - you can check it out here. I'm hopeful that it will inspire others to run and to give the gift of water!
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