Running Your Heart Out -- Hope Chronicles 70

Last week I had the opportunity to watch a friend's boys -- Kolya and Austin. Kolya had a cross country meet. Since it was an invitational, everyone had to wait to the end to get awards.

This is a picture of Kolya running. He came in 19th out of 60 runners in his group. I think that is pretty amazing.

While Kolya ran a great race, another runner has gotten me thinking. It seemed that everyone had finished and the crowd was starting to mingle at where the awards were going to be given. I asked someone why they hadn't started. Even though it was a good 15 minutes later, it turned out that there was a boy who was still running. A boy who had run all season nowhere near the pack. A boy for whom only two or three people had stayed at the ending place to cheer on. A boy who ran his heart out.

Hebrews 12:1-3 says the following about the race we are running spiritually.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Carolyn Arends is a contemporary Christian singer. She sings about running the race and that great crowd of witnesses: "Sometimes I press on, sometimes I look back, sometimes I just lay in the road on my back. I've got to get up and I don't know how, I hear in the distance the roar of the crowd."

We all feel like giving up sometimes. What is amazing about this youth is that he didn't quit. He didn't quit as the pack pulled farther and farther ahead. He didn't quit when only a handful met him at the finish. He kept going and going --pushing himself. I don't know his faith, but oh, to be able to fix my eyes on Jesus, the end of the race, that I would run on and on and on even when no other runners are in sight.

That boy ran his heart out. May we have hope enough in the cross to run our hearts out until the end of the race.

Giving Gifts

I love giving gifts. Getting them is good too, but I think I enjoy giving them more. (That's probably not nearly as self-sacrificing or whatever as it might sound.) I don't necessarily enjoy shopping. Rather, I enjoy seeing someone else's pleasure in something I've given or something I've done for them.

This is particularly relevant in that I am in birthday mode at the moment. Kolya turned 14 a few days ago. Though I don't typically like just giving money, for a 14-year-old, it is often the right color and size! (And Kolya is already saving for a car when he turns 16. His mom shared with me that he has already save $500! How amazing is that?)

Julie has a birthday March 6th. I'm set to see her tomorrow but then won't see her again for two weeks. So, I decided to do the birthday thing tomorrow. She's getting a homemade treat. I've taken stuff to her office before. However, I've never made this particular item. So, it is scary that I somehow managed to only copy half the recipe off the Internet and ended up winging the rest of it since I didn't have time to get on line and hunt it down again. We'll just say that there are ample amounts of chocolate and sugar and other sweet things involved. She's getting 2 of the same thing. One is to share with her office. (They love treats!) One is to take home to share with her family.

Jill was a little trickier. (I really do typically rely on the stumble method for her, but Christmas and her birthday are too close together for that to be reliable.) She has a ton more fashion sense than I do, so my picking out clothes for her isn't always the best option! (How does one look so put together just wearing jeans and a top? I really don't get it!)

In an earlier post, I shared about my foray to the mall. The wander aimlessly and hope that something jumps out and bites you technique really didn't work -- at all. I resorted to calling her husband and asking for an idea but that really didn't help. So, I took to cruising other stores -- Jeffrey Alan's, Hobby Lobby, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Meijer, Walmart, . . . . It caused me to see the advantage of the mall in that all the stores are inside. With the temp hovering below freezing going back to the mall had a certain appeal.

In the end, I came up with the idea for Jill's present right before falling asleep one night. But I had to go back to Meijer and Walmart to look for it. They both had it, but I wanted to see which had the better price.

What did I get Jill? A pedometer. Okay, it doesn't sound like a particularly exciting gift. But Jill is really into her walking and it just seemed to fit. The other pieces of the gift were lunch out on Saturday and a heart felt card. Jill seemed pleased with both and in turn, that really pleased me!

Jill made the comment that I am "thoughtful." That has stuck with me the last few days and kind of nested in my soul. Thoughtful. What a nice thing to say. I like that characterization. And I think it reflects back to my efforts to find "the gift." When I give gifts, I like them to say, "I thought about you. This had you written on it."

I've done a little reflecting on the gifts God gives. In Matthew 7:9-11, it says, "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" I don't want to take this totally out of context or anything. But I think it points to God's heart.

If I enjoy giving gifts, how much more does God enjoy giving gifts to us? He knows us intimately and always has our best in mind. We are never far from His thoughts and every day is a gift He has prepared for us. Every moment is a gift He planned.

So, when you look at the sunset or the starry sky or the face of your sleeping child, stop and think. "Look how thoughtful He is! He thought of me and gave me . . . ."

I haven't teased it all out just yet, but I think it is safe to say, a hopeful heart and a grateful heart often go hand in hand. I think, perhaps, they compliment each other.