Keep Your Head Up!

I woke up early this Sunday and felt like I should go for a run. So, I get all geared up and head out. As I am running I begin to feel this tightness in my throat. I feel like I can't catch my breath. I knew that I was still stressed out and figured that I was just too tense to run. But I felt like I didn't want to stop...like I couldn't stop. I start praying to God in that moment and telling him, "Jesus, I don't know what's going on but I feel like I can't catch my breath." Jesus, being the best coach there is, says to me, "Lift your head up." It was then that I realized that when I run I keep my head down and watch my feet. I couldn't believe that I had never noticed that I did this before. So I try to run with my head up, but it just kept going back down to my feet. That's when Jesus said, "Katie. Why don't you trust that the road you see ahead is going to be the same road that is under your feet? Why do you need to watch each step as you take it? If you would only keep your head up, you will be able to breath." So I lifted my head up and shot off down the road as fast I could. It felt great for a while, but then I couldn't run anymore and started walking. Then I heard Jesus again, "Katie. You don't have to sprint every race. I am not asking you to run as fast as you can...that is all you. If you would only pace yourself, you would be able to run for much longer. I am not even asking you to run at all. Walk if you want to. As long as you are moving forward you can crawl if need be." Man, if you all could have seen me then. I was one of those crazy people talking to themselves on the street. I shouted out "I GET IT!!" I TOTALLY get it!!!" God showed me that Sunday morning that all the pressure I have right now isn't from Him....it's from me. I need to stop looking down and worrying about what's going on and keep my head up and believe that God isn't going to let me stumble. I don't have to exhaust myself by sprinting into new things like I am a greyhound on it's first race of the day. All I have to do is just trust. Trust that if I keep my head up and keep moving forward even on those days were you can barely get out of bed, that God will not let me down. I pray that God give me the strength to keep my head up, because some days....I can't do it without him. I pray that God continue to move in my life in these awesome ways that get me so excited that I don't care that I look like I am crazy person talking to themselves. God is in control.