A Different Path

You may or may not have noticed, but this is the first post I have made for the month of May. I decided to take a break after four months of daily writing. I put forth a lot of effort into making these posts interesting and inspirational and started to feel overwhelmed by the urgency of self inflicted deadlines. After praying on this undesired sense of obligation, I felt that I needed to take some time to re-center myself around the real purpose of this blog.

Over the last week of my life, I continued experiencing all that it means to be alive. I worked through challenges... I enjoyed blessings... I looked for inspiration... I helped others... and I talked with God throughout it all. Even though I didn't write about it, time kept on moving forward and I moved right along with it. With this realization, I discovered exactly what I was looking for... an understanding of what matters most.

I will not elaborate on exactly what I found. However, I encourage you to go on a search of your own. I sincerely believe the answer to what matters most exists uniquely inside of each of us. We just need to take time and place effort into finding it. When we do, we can use it to not only keep up with time, but live at our best no matter how fast it seems to go.

Going forward with this blog, I will keep pouring my heart into sharing my amazing journey as well as discuss some other stories from my past that have formed me into the person I am today. With God on my side, I expect to keep it interesting and inspirational. I hope you find it to be just that... and wish you the same type of exciting, positive experiences in your own life.
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This morning I lifted my hands to the sky and took a few deep breaths. I stretched out my arms as if I could grab the clouds, looked up with praise in my heart, and asked for the positive change in my life to never end. I felt chills surround my body as I was filled with what I can only describe as the grace of God. Soon after this wonderful experience, I picked up my baseball bat and continued another blessed day with some welcomed exercise.

After hitting pretend home runs for about 15 minutes, I decided to take a different path for my run. I did not put much thought into it at the time, but it was so refreshing to break away from the usual route through my neighborhood. I enjoyed different scenery, waved/smiled at different neighbors, and conquered different terrain. I ended up running longer/harder than I have all year, and I honestly didn't think about it until I made it back to my house drenched in sweat.

After putting more thought into it, I started to relate how life can often fall victim to the same type of boring, uneventful routine that had taken over the path I have been choosing to run. I have been stuck running the same loop day after day without even knowing it. It wasn't until I decided to run outside of that loop that I noticed what I was missing... and became aware of all the other wonderful possibilities. A sense of familiarity was literally stealing from my ability to get the most out of my time running.

This makes me wonder about other things in my life that may be stuck in the "same loop". What else in my life could use a new and exciting path? Is there more joy and happiness out there just waiting to be discovered? If so, what is holding me back from receiving it?

My desire is to find this refreshing feeling of newness in everything I do. However, it is going to require me to move outside of my comfort zone and into unfamiliar territory. I will have to veer away from the normal routine and look for "new roads" for which "to run". It may be scary to take on the unknown, but I trust that taking a different path will more often than not lead to positive change. When combined with steady faith and unwavering obedience, this change can only move me in one direction - forward toward becoming the person I was meant to be.
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Isaiah 40:28-31
Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.