a new hobby

a new thing is happening in me.

the story starts a couple of months ago, or actually way before that. my sister alice is one of my best friends on earth (though it wasn't always that way, i thank God for making us friends). she and her husband Sean (another of my best friends on earth) are missionaries in tokyo, japan. i live in denver. needless to say, i don't see them too often, unfortunately.

several years back, this huge passion birthed in alice to run. not just a jog here and there, but a full-blown, all-out romance with running that has since led to her running and winning numerous races of varying lengths and styles, as well as running 3 marathons and placing 26th out of 3000 people in an international japanese marathon last month.

in the meantime, i had never considered running, using the excuse that i had a bad knee, that i didn't have time or simply didn't feel like it. so alice told me a couple of months back that she was about to slow down and stop running so much in order to start trying to have a baby. to me, running seemed like a huge thing for her to give up, since she's into it so much. but i knew she would have to run a lot less if she were to get pregnant. last month, i got a call from alice & sean, letting me know that i am going to be an uncle in november. this was something i'd been hoping and praying for for some time now, so needless to say, i was ecstatic. it turned out she had run her last marathon while carrying her baby! the little butterbean will have been a runner before he/she's even born!

i was at the gym shortly after receiving this news, and out of nowhere i found myself climbing up on the treadmill (which i've never done before--always stuck to the bikes or elipticals or weights in the past) and starting to run. as i did this, i asked God, why am i doing this? the answer was so clear to me, coming from the Spirit of God in my heart: i want to teach you some new things about me, steven. it's time to run. it's also time to pick up the torch and carry it for alice and the baby.

so i ran. it's not a forrest gump thing, it's a God thing. i felt like running, so i did. and it has become a near obsession. a passion which goes unneglected, unforgotten in my heart and in my life each day. and God is teaching me HUGE lessons in all of this, about a relationship with Him, about dedication, perseverance, trust, accountability...

and as i run, i also think about my sister alice. i pray for her and the little butterbean in her belly. for his/her future, for health, for adventures, for life. and i just think about God.

it's a new hobby that promises to be so much more than just a hobby...