7 More Days to Run

Yesterday I had 60 minutes between getting home from work and the time I needed to start getting ready for Matt's work event.  Not a lot of time when you calculate what needed to be done.  I changed out of work clothes and into my workout clothes and started to head out.  Matt asked if he could come along.  That's a weird request coming from him.  So I said "sure".

As we headed out he started talking to me and I politely reminded him that I usually take this time to pray.  And he kept talking.  At first I was listening to him but not really engaging, hoping he'd get the hint that I'm on a mission here and he was hindering it. Then a still small voice reminded me that Matt was talking, a lot, and about things that have been on his heart and I should probably give him the time to listen.  Matt doesn't like to talk about uncomfortable things, like plans for the future.  The fact that he asked to walk with me and that he was talking about the very things that I have been praying about (our future when he leaves the Army) told me I needed to just go with it.  I asked God to allow me to listen, share my opinions and concerns, and just let this time be helpful and encouraging to the both of us. And it was.

Sometimes I am challenged with what I guess what could be called legalism when it comes to Christianity. My commitment was to pray every day on a walk or run.  So technically talking with my husband is not praying and therefore I failed in my attempt to do this 40 day thing.  But it didn't feel like failing, it felt right.  I think asking him not to talk about these things would have been the true failure.

Thinking back to the story of Mary and Martha.  Sit and listen or do the dishes? What if Mary had committed to 40 days of dishes....would her time spent at Jesus' feet been seen as a failure?  I think not.  So I guess I'm saying that sometimes doing the "right thing" isn't right anymore when you feel led to head a different direction.

One week until Easter.
One more week of hitting the pavement every single day.
I'm shocked at how quickly time has gone by, now that I'm on this end of the journey.