God's Benediction Tree

It's been 10 days since I last exercised. In the past this would not have been a surprising statement. The surprise would have been if I had said I had exercised once in the past ten months. 

Things change. I've changed. God is changing me. Molding me. Doing with me more of what He wants and hopefully making my wants to be conformed to His plans. 

Anyway, I had noted the following things during the first weeks/months of my exercise journey. 

1. I like to exercise. Who knew?
2. I have flat feet and shin splints. I DID know this, just hoped maybe it had changed. HA! NOT!
3. I can walk far and fast. I can jog a LITTLE and slow. I can't do TOO much or it hurts. Pain keeps me from exercising. BE WISE.
4. I LOVE biking. 
5. My iPhone plays music. and sermons. and podcasts. and MUSIC!
6. Steven Curtis Chapman has GREAT music by which to exercise. 
7. I gained 7 lb. when exercising and eating less and eating right. 
8. I lost 3 lbs. this past 10 days when eating more, not as healthy and NOT exercising. 
9. I still want to exercise. 
10. I felt better today, so I walked. 

I'm a rules sort of girl. I want the rule. I want to follow the rule. If the rule is supposed to work and I follow the rule then there should be no problems. But... people aren't made from cookie cutters. We're each unique. 

So, I'm learning. SLOWLY!

If I've been sick and have had a swollen ankle I can't expect to start right where I left off. NO BODY WILL SEND THE EXERCISE POLICE IF I WALK INSTEAD OF BIKE!. Yes, I'm yelling in all caps. God has to really shake me and holler in my ear to get me to hear sometimes. 

So, I walked. And listened to an awesome sermon. I still had some distance left when the sermon ended so I decided to end the worship time with some praise. All along I had been enjoying the sun, a babbling brook, mockingbirds flitting back and forth and dappled light through trees. So, my latest favorite praise song, "10,000 Reasons" seemed the obvious choice. 

Here are just a few of the words, can't put them all since it's copyrighted, but, you'll get the idea...

"Bless the Lord,  O my soul, O my soul, Worship His holy name.... "

[a few more lines then...]

"The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning,

it's time to sing your song again

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes. "

(Matt Redman)

So, as I contemplated the past year and what's happened in my life, and all the blessings God has been pouring down upon our family I just lifted my face and started to praise Him as I walked on the trail. 

At that very moment I saw this gorgeous tree and all these golden leaves just started raining down towards me, and on me and around me, with the light streaming and the music playing and it felt as if God himself was laying His hand upon me and giving me His benediction. 

ben·e·dic·tion/ˌbeniˈdikSHən/

Noun:

The utterance or bestowing of a blessing, esp. at the end of a religious service.

And so I have begun to exercise again, praising God and receiving His blessing, as it were. More importantly I am seeing God at work in my life, day and night, in the good and the bad times, He is always there, leading, guiding, sustaining. And my prayer is that I'll still be singing when the evening comes. 

Shalom, 

Kim