Another Running Metaphor

Today is my running day, which I hate by the way. I really do. I hate running. I hate my treadmill. BUT for some reason just doing yoga is not getting rid of a certain fat problem I'm having so I run. Usually for the first 15 minutes I'm battling myself. "I hate running, I hate running, this is stupid, I'm never doing this again...blah blah blah," something like that. Then I notice that my goal is totally within range and suddenly the little voice in my head has an attitude adjustment. "You can do it, you can do it, keep it up, keep it up." Then when I do hit my goal I have this burst of exhilaration. I jump off my treadmill and do a little happy dance saying "take that treadmill"....*sigh* this is all totally ridiculous I know. Let me get back to my reason for blogging. Last night I scratched my little toe on my right foot. Not a very big scratch, in fact I barely noticed it. However, today, with my tennis shoes on, I totally noticed it. Arg! It was awful! This little tiny thing on my little toe totally changed everything during my run. With every step I took I felt a little sting of pain in my foot that radiated up my leg. It changed the way my foot landed, the way I took a step, my stride, and talk about a jumbled up head space. For 15 minutes all I could think about was my little toe! I had to quit. I quit. I got off my treadmill. It won today. I did not hit my goal. Not even close. *sigh* Can anyone relate to this? Literally or metaphorically?

Let me break it down this way. How incredible is it that something so tiny can set us off track. Just a little scratch can change everything. I was thinking about my life and current struggles and how sometimes such simple things can make a huge difference. Can cause me to take my eyes off Him. This scripture came to my mind while pondering this and since I don't really get how it relates to this situation I have to believe it was from heaven.

Col 1 NASB

¹³ For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
 ¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ¹⁸ He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. ¹⁹ For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, ²⁰ and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Alright so I don't know how exactly to put it all together and make sense of it. I guess just thinking about those little things can make you feel frustrated and hopeless. What kind of Christian am I if I let something so silly get in between me and my Beloved? I think just reminding yourself, your spirit, your soul, whatever you want to say, just keeping the idea that we were rescued from the dominion of darkness by Christ is uplifting. He's big and strong and powerful and He's on our side. He saved us because He loves us. He is before all things and in Him all things hold together. No little evil dart or smudge of sin can separate us from that. Don't quit. Don't step off the path. Turn to Him with your struggle. You think it's too big for Him to handle? You think He's surprised by your sin?

²¹ And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, ²² yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven,

He has reconciled you to Himself. Don't move away from the hope of the gospel.

And finally my favorite, verse 27: God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.