The Final Two Miles

About two months ago the Lord was starting to show me that I needed to lose weight and get down to 82 kilos (181 pounds). Because I am getting older (almost 41) I have to work out more than I used to in order to drop the weight. Ten years ago I could run maybe 12 miles a week and lift some weights and I could control my weight very easily. Things change when you get older. You have to train harder and with more focus. You have to watch everything you eat almost all of the time.

In response I have had to increase my mileage when out jogging. My runs have gone up to 4.7 miles at a minimum of three days a week if not four. Because of this my runs have become much more painful. But through this whole process the Lord has reminded me of a spiritual principle that applies to all of us. It's the principle of how clear his voice becomes when we are in pain.

My runs are divided into two experiences. The first experience is had in the first 2.5 miles. This is when my mind is set on various things. I think about family, work, ministry, fellowship, the future....My mind just wanders from thought to thought. Sometimes the thoughts are vain, sometimes imaginative. They often lack focus. I find myself taking alot of thoughts captive on that first 2.5 miles. During this time I am not in much pain. My body temperature is still cool, I am not completely soaked in sweat and I haven't had to start drinking from the frozen water bottles in my hands. I still have alot of spring in my step. My stride is very strong, steady and consistent. During that first 2.5 miles things are easy. There is little or no pain.

The final 2 miles are different. I can feel my mouth getting drier and I have to start rehydrating. My clothes are starting to become soaked with sweat. My feet can feel the heat of the pavement as it heats up my shoes. My strides are becoming more laboursome. My body starts to feel heavier in spite of severe water loss. And through it all my mind starts to clear up. By this point I have been quoting 2 Corinthians 10:5,6 and Galatians 5:26 now for the past mile or so and my thoughts start to shift completely heavenward. I am now entering into the realm of pain and this is where I want to be. This is where I begin hearing the voice of the Lord. This is where I connect with him....in the realm of pain.

"But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction." Job 36:15

God speaks to us in our affliction. He appears to us in the fiery furnace.

"Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." Daniel 3:25

I appreciate the last 2 miles of my runs. Why? Because this is where I hear him. This is where I get insight on riddles he has set before me, clarity in doctrinal issues, prophetic insight........I love it. This is where his voice is for me. He led me to this. He led me to this realm of fire. This is where he meets with me, in those final two miles.

This has not been about weight loss rooted in a vain spirit. This has been more about connecting with him and being reminded that sometimes, not all of the time, but sometimes.....in order to hear him, we have to go into phases of affliction.

Saludos
JEB