Watch Your Step

“I watch my step, avoiding the ditches, and ruts of evil.” (Psalm 119:101 MSG) 

Trail running requires a lot more concentration than road running. When running a well-paved road, you can listen to your headphones and zone out if you want. Trails have uneven surfaces, roots, and ruts. These impediments are easier to navigate at the beginning of a race when your body and mind are fresh. However, after several hours on a trail, your physical agility and cognitive functions diminish. This is when runners are likely to injure themselves the most. Experienced trail runners are aware of this and make the necessary adaptations. They wear headlamps, slow down, and pay attention to the terrain. They keep their focus on the present task. They do not think about their to-do list or seek out distractions. 

The lessons of trail running can be applied to life. There are seasons when all is going smoothly and mild diversions are okay. But during uncertain times, when we are passing through the wilderness, we have to be vigilant. Exhaustion, impatience, fear, and confusion set in. The temptation to make moral compromises and seek out distraction is intense. 

“By your words I can see where I’m going, they throw a beam of light on my dark path.” (Psalm 119:105 MSG)

In dark times, on rough terrain, watch your step. Avoid the ruts of evil. Turn on your headlamp so that you can see the trail in front of you. Keep your mind on the present--not the past or the future. Slow down. Be aware of your internal and external landscape. Do not fall into the ditches of temptation. Remind yourself of eternal truths. Use the Word of God as a lamp to guide your feet and light your path.

Good Decisions

“Teach me how to make good decisions, and give me revelation-light.” (Psalm 119:66 TPT)

Good decision making is a learned skill. It requires training. Those who fail to learn from mistakes are doomed to repeat them indefinitely. Children and adolescents lack experience and maturity. Thus, a certain amount of poor decisions are inevitable when you are young. However, as you get older, you develop forethought and discipline. You learn to ask yourself the right questions: Why do I want this? Can it wait? Will I think this is a good idea a year from now? Is the cost in time, energy, and resources worth the benefit? How will this affect others?

A spontaneous person is considered fun, while a person who deliberates before every action is labeled a bore. Good decision making is difficult, because it isn’t always popular or pleasurable. Even as adults, many of us do not recognize the possible ramifications of our choices. We follow our cravings and hope for the best. We justify pursuing our desires by conflating wants and needs. Just as maturity does not come naturally with age, good decision making skills do not automatically appear with experience. It requires divine wisdom and practice. Before every decision, major or minor, ask for divine revelation. Pray for guidance and strength. With the Lord as our coach, we can develop the fortitude to withstand push-back, the willingness to sacrifice, and the discipline to continually make good decisions. 

The Prayers of an Insomniac

“In the middle of the night I awake to give thanks to you.” (Psalm 119:62 TPT)

It’s 2:14 am. Like most other nights, I have woken up and can’t go back to sleep. Unrestrained thoughts run amok; some make sense, others don’t. I feel helpless, passive, tired, and drowsy. I have found one way to compose my mind: I list all the things for which I am grateful, in no particular order. I thank God for each and every blessing.

Lord, I thank you: for my family and friends and all the ways they are blessed, for clean air and the ability to breathe, for food and a working digestive system, for easy access to clean water, for legs that are strong enough to walk and run, for arms that can lift and carry, for dexterous fingers that can cook and clean and touch and type, for the ability to care for myself and my loved ones, for health, for medical insurance and medicines, for shelter and safety, for electricity, heat, internet, and other utilities, for cars that work and gasoline to fuel them, for financial peace, for books to read and thoughts to write, for love, faith, wisdom, and  humor, for technology that keeps me connected and informed, for the sweet memories of my precious dog, for the little comforts like socks, lip balm, and chocolate... 

The list goes on and on....eventually I drift back off to sleep, floating in gratitude and peace. 

Higher View

“These words hold me up in bad times; yes, your promises rejuvenate me.” (Psalm 119:50 MSG)

Recently I saw a picture on social media of a beautiful landscape. It was taken at a national park in Norway. The scenery showed a mountain range with several emerald lakes. Several people who lived in Norway commented that they had never seen this view, even though they had visited this national park. The photographer explained that he had used a camera attached to a drone to get that shot. This allowed him to see things from a higher perspective. 

God’s promises hold us up in hard times, giving us a higher vantage point. The earthly mindset is limited, no matter how much we climb.  Hope lifts us up to new heights, allowing us to glimpse unimaginable beauty. Trust grants us a confidence that is beyond our circumstances. Gratitude elevates our perspective, reviving our souls. 

Big Steps

“I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces

    as I look for your truth and your wisdom;

Then I’ll tell the world what I find,

    speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.” 

(Psalm 119:45-46 MSG)

Long distance runners often resort to a shuffling gait when they are tired. Their feet barely lift off the ground; the result is a slower pace. Runners can counteract this habit by doing stride drills during training. This practice reinforces efficient biomechanics and neuromuscular development. When doing strides, runners take big, bounding steps with bursts of speed for short periods. They focus on their form, ensuring every movement is purposeful. Interspersing stride intervals into a long distance run can improve overall performance. 

The journey of life can often be tiring. Our natural instinct is to plod through, eyes downcast, heart discouraged, and mind fixated on our depleting energy. In order to counteract this habit, we need to practice strides of faith--taking big, bounding steps. Uncertainty leads us to uncrowded spaces. Desolate places are usually wide open, enabling us to progress swiftly. Unencumbered by doubt, our movement becomes efficient and purposeful. Truth and wisdom are found in these times of devotion. Should we keep what we learn to ourselves or share with others? Do we tell the world what we find and face the chance of rejection and ridicule? 

Lord, enable me to stride freely through wide open spaces as I look for your truth and your wisdom; help me to tell the world what I find, speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed. 

Yield Selectively

“Do not yield to fear, for I am always near.

 Never turn your gaze from me, for I am your faithful God.

 I will infuse you with my strength and help you in every situation

 I will hold you firmly with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 TPT)

When driving, I often yield to other cars at intersections, even when I have the right of way. I see this as being courteous. Plus, I’m a timid driver and others always seem in a bigger hurry. This means I let other drivers get ahead of me, and I end up following them. Sometimes I get boxed in behind huge trucks on single lane roads. Then I have to let these drivers set the speed. Perhaps I should be more selective about when I yield. 

We may not be able to prevent fear from approaching us at the crossroads of life, but whether we yield or not is a choice. Fear never has the right of way; thus, we are not obliged to succumb to it. When we give way to fear, we let it get out in front of us. We become followers of fear, stuck behind it, allowing it to box us in. 

The Lord is always near. Yield to Him; let Him get out in front and guide you. Follow Christ. Never turn your gaze from Him--for where your eyes go, your mind will follow. The Lord is faithful and trustworthy. He will infuse you with His strength and help you in every situation. He will hold you firmly in His victorious right hand. 

Making a Mess

“Don’t allow me to make a mess of my life.” (Psalm 119:31 TPT)

My best friend in kindergarten was Eva Nelson. She was fun, spontaneous, and popular. I was the opposite. I was a careful planner. I aspired to be more like her and less like me. One day, all the kids in my class got their own watercolor set. The case came with a few basic colors and a small brush. I remember the teacher  giving us instructions as we all eagerly waited to get started. She told us to use just a little bit of water and to clean our brushes in between each color. I started off following directions--keeping everything clean and orderly. My paper had timid strokes of green grass but nothing else. I looked over at Eva and she was painting wildly. She looked like she was having fun and making more progress, so I decided to do what she was doing. I ignored the teacher’s directions. Soon all my colors got mixed up, and I had a muddy brown mess. 

Good choices lead to orderly lives. Most of us know right from wrong and have an inherent desire to do the right thing. We have sincere intentions, yet we are prone to making messes. Illusions of progress and delusions of control mar our judgment. We disregard our moral compass and succumb to the pressures of expediency and popularity. This path eventually leads to muddy ruts. Truth can be uncomfortable in the short term, but it leads to integrity in the long run. When we pursue only that which is true, our soul is drenched with lucidity. We turn our attention from distractions and chaos--choosing to walk through pathways of peace. 

“Help me turn my eyes away from illusions so that I pursue only that which is true; drench my soul with life as I walk in your paths.” (Psalm 119:37 TPT)