a lesson from a new runner

found this email i sent my friend charlotte last week (pre-race) and thought i'd post it...

I ran 5K again last night (Eric ran most of it but had to leave early to be home by 10) and am really getting stoked about the run this weekend. (Never thought I'd actually write such words about a month ago). It's so neat to see how far God brings us when we give something to Him--from barely being able to run 1 mile to being able to run 3.1 and still have energy for more. God is using this to teach me lessons about how we are capable of FAR more than we think we are...He created us to do so much more than we do, in the physical realm AND in the spiritual realm...yet we should never be overwhelmed by making it seem so huge, looming over our heads. Rather, we should take it one step at a time and trust that the Lord, the Living God, Immanuel, God with us, will give us every strength & every grace from His abundance of it to get us through each step, taking us a little further each time. I think I tend to get overwhelmed when I think of where I want to be spiritually and where I'm at now, seeing such a huge distance between the two. And God says, just like with running, "Steven, I created you to be able to run marathons, but you sure can't just up and do it without the proper training, the proper practice; Steven, I created you to be able to do amazing things spiritually, to perform miracles, to heal the sick, to cast out demons, to be bold and courageous in sharing My love with others, but you can't just up and do it without taking the time to get to know Me more, to love Me more, to believe Me more." One step at a time...the 5K is just one in many. My next step is the Bolder Boulder at the end of May! 10K is not so bad when you consider training and consistency...