"Help for the Hills" by Cristi Miller (and me)
As I set out for my morning run
I have confidence in my ability to complete the course set before me.
The steps quickly turn into miles
And I am amazed at how easily and steadily I move along.
I take in the beauty along the way and breath deep.
This isn’t so bad. I can do this.
Gradually the path begins to change.
The hard, smooth ground that was giving spring to my steps
Crumbles and becomes soft as sand beneath my feet
Draining me more and more of energy each time we connect.
The path narrows and snakes it’s way through the woods.
The earth begins to rise up beneath me with each step I take
And I gasp when I catch a glimpse of the hill now looming in front of me.
I dig deep for strength
And think of a friend who is climbing a ‘hill’ of her own in life.
How often she whishes she could walk, sit down
Stop climbing, give up.
How can I quit after I have been encouraging her not to?
Now, she spurs me on.
I run with her in mind.
Pray for her.
“I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”
I want to turn around and run-
Run back to the easy, familiar road I had just traveled
But fixing my eyes ahead, I continue.
Tree roots spider web across my way
And large rocks freckle the dirt.
I trip and stumble often
Loosing my footing as I trudge along,
Barely moving up the ever-increasing incline.
Will I ever reach the top?
I am reminded of yet another runner, another hill.
Where a beaten, bloodied, mocked, weary man
Carrying a load on His back no one else could bare,
Climbed a hill.
A hill that did not promise relief at its summit
But demanded His very life.
With each agonizing step He took
The weight of His burden increased
Digging deeper into His already raw back.
Blood, as sweat, fell staining the ground.
Every move He made required the greatest effort.
Each step brought Him closer to death.
“Yet not my will, but Yours be done,” was the cry of his heart
As he strained to reach the top,
To receive His reward
And hear the voice of His Father welcoming Him,
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
He endured.
In the end He gained the ultimate victory-
A victory He now shares with me.
I gain a new perspective on this ‘hill’
And others I will encounter on my run.
Fight returns to my steps and I inch forward.
One foot in front of the other.
One step at a time.
He knows and He is running with me.
Even today, even now, as I climb this hill.
I can because Jesus already has.
His Spirit breathes wind at my back
And I ascend.
(July 8, 20011)
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