And then I hear it--clapping. My heart beats in applause.
As my pace slows, so does the clapping. Slower... Softer... clap...... clap...... clap......
Then as I pick up pace, through the strain of the run, my heart claps Louder! Quicker! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
Running: challenging, strenuous, difficult... Louder, quicker clapping.
Walking: steady, recuperating, peaceful... Softer, slower clapping.
This is my rhythm, and my heart keeps pace.
Life is like this. Walking and Running. Mountains and valleys. Peace and strife. All the while, creation is clapping.
I am reminded of a treasured verse--one that speaks as an undercurrent in the walk and as the crashing waves in the run:
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
1 Peter 4:12-13
1 Peter 4:12-13
Running puts stress on the heart, trials put stress on the soul. And how are we to survive such seasons? With hearts that clap in praise. The challenges come, and believe me, I have had my share. But through it all, I know that God is faithful. CLAP! He sees. CLAP! He hears. CLAP! He loves. CLAP! He makes all things new. CLAP!
Healthy hearts don't stop in the run. Healthy hearts beat stronger, louder, faster. When the struggle comes, when the pain hits, when the suffering endures: CLAP! Lounder, stronger, faster! Oh, may the trial increase our praise! He is good, brothers and sisters. The run isn't forever. He gives strength to endure... and then, when we need it, he gives rest.
Then, after the run, the rest is even better than before. For a good workout strengthens the heart. The strain pushes the heart to open up new capillaries and veins, as you know. Giving more heart highways to bring nourishment to the body as a whole. Increase your heartbeat in strenuous activity, and pretty soon your resting heart rate will go down... Greater strain, greater rest. We run, and we walk, and all the while we clap in praise.
He is good. Through it all he is good. He makes us new. He brings us life. He is with us in the work, he is with us in the rest. Trust in him with all your heart--he is the one who made it, after all, he knows just what it needs. Praise.
(By the way, ever heard the phrase "20% Exercise, 80% Diet"? If you want a healthy heart, the most important thing is what you feed it. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Jesus is The Word. If you want a healthy heart, go to his word, and your heart will pump life to your soul.)
Healthy hearts don't stop in the run. Healthy hearts beat stronger, louder, faster. When the struggle comes, when the pain hits, when the suffering endures: CLAP! Lounder, stronger, faster! Oh, may the trial increase our praise! He is good, brothers and sisters. The run isn't forever. He gives strength to endure... and then, when we need it, he gives rest.
Then, after the run, the rest is even better than before. For a good workout strengthens the heart. The strain pushes the heart to open up new capillaries and veins, as you know. Giving more heart highways to bring nourishment to the body as a whole. Increase your heartbeat in strenuous activity, and pretty soon your resting heart rate will go down... Greater strain, greater rest. We run, and we walk, and all the while we clap in praise.
He is good. Through it all he is good. He makes us new. He brings us life. He is with us in the work, he is with us in the rest. Trust in him with all your heart--he is the one who made it, after all, he knows just what it needs. Praise.
(By the way, ever heard the phrase "20% Exercise, 80% Diet"? If you want a healthy heart, the most important thing is what you feed it. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Jesus is The Word. If you want a healthy heart, go to his word, and your heart will pump life to your soul.)
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