What He Does

Last week I started jogging again for real, as in four or five miles at a crack. Of course, since I’ve just started back up, I walk nearly as much as I jog, but that isn’t the point. The point is, I love it. It is great to pound along, feel the wind on my face, and come home all–over tired, and ready for bed. What a great life!

But it’s been over two years since I’ve done much jogging at all. Some of that time I just felt too weary to attempt it. Other times I had such bad cramps in one of my calves that I wasn’t able to jog for more than twenty steps at a time–which was not fun. The desire to jog was only a memory.

Then, one evening, something happened. I don’t know what it was. But I put on my shoes and took off on a route that I knew would be about five miles. It didn’t matter to me that my lungs couldn’t handle it. When I ran out of breath or strength, I walked for a while.

The next evening was not quite so pleasant. I experienced some cramping. That wasn’t going to stop me, either. I walked until the cramps went away, and then jogged some more.

Something had happened inside of me. God had done something in me. He did it.

But He did not put my jogging shoes on my feet. He did not open the door for me and shove me outside.

So this evening, out of the blue I remembered a song I wrote years ago:

You give me strength to run;
You give me joy in the morning
You give me strength to run my course with joy
And I will run and not grow weary;
I will walk all day
Yes I will rise on the wings of the morning and fly away.
He gives me strength to run... and I will run.
He gives me joy ... and I run my course with joy.
He provides the wings ...
and I fly.

It’s pretty easy to get mixed up with what is His job and what is my job, but this is perhaps the best example I’ve personally experienced that typifies what He does and what I do. I cannot give myself the strength to run, and He will not run for me. He gives sight to the blind, but He doesn’t see for them. He gives strength to the lame, but He doesn’t walk for them. He gives you strength to run, but He doesn’t put your shoes on for you.

But let’s not look too far in the one direction. You can put your shoes on all day, but if He doesn’t give you the strength to run, you won’t be able to run. Your own strength is worthless.

Perhaps, then, the real "trick" to living in the spirit is learning to know when to put on your shoes.

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