the hills of life.

We are out of town this weekend in Dalton, GA and I brought my running clothes with me so I wouldn't miss my run on Saturday. Yesterday I drove two miles out from our hotel so I would know where to go for my four miles. As I was driving I noticed it was a little on the hillly side, but it didn't seem too bad.

Today when I left the hotel for my run I felt great. It is about 66 degrees outside with a slight breeze. Pefect for a Saturday afternoon jog! It was less than 4 minutes into my run that I hit the first of many inclines on this breezy, Saturday afternoon jog! Oh my gosh! This was by far the hardest run I have done so far and it wasn't even the farthest! I think my whole run today was on an incline. There weren't but a few minutes that I was running on level ground.

Half way to the two-mile mark I ran down the biggest hill I have yet to encounter. I almost fell forward it was that big. Although I should have been enjoying this down hill run, all I could think about was the fact that I was at one point going to have to go up this thing.

I encountered many more hills and then the dreaded mountain arrived and I put my head down and started going up. I thought my legs were going to fall off! I was almost to the top and I had to walk the rest. I hate to walk when I'm running. For some reason I feel like a weenie when I walk. BUT my legs were telling me either you stop or we're collapsing!

I got to thinking about these hills and how it is just like our life. We are constantly going through some sort of little hill in our lives and we will all have a big mountain at one point or another to climb as well. I think we need hills in our life; they make us stronger. They also make those big mountains in life easier to deal with when we get to them because we've already been dealing with the little hills of life.

If I never ran these hills I would NOT be prepared for the half marathon that is 7 weeks from today. Although it was a very hard run today I am so thankful for the way it is preparing me for what is to come. I am thanful for my struggle. I know I will be better because of it.

James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "But he (Jesus) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."