ENDURANCE TRAINING

About a year ago I decided to start running. I went to the local bookstore and bought a book to guide me in my training. The whole concept of the book is to build your endurance by following a Walk/Run program. I was pumped, motivated, ready to conquer this thing I have always wanted to accomplish, the 5K. To many this is not a big goal, but to me, it was huge. I began to run in a neighborhood, but found that not very convenient, since I have to drive to get to one. So my creative husband decided to get on the tractor and cut me a running path around our 16 acres. It was perfect. I just went out the back door and got to run on our land which I love. Everything was going great in my 13 week training program up until I got to week 3. As I was running one day, I stepped into a rut from the tractor and did something to my knee. I pressed on that day, rested the next day, and got back out there the next day. After about 10 minutes I knew I could go no farther. I really felt defeated. I rested the knee for a few weeks and tried again back in the neighborhood. All was going well for a little while until I got Pneumonia. By this time I am thinking maybe this is not for me. Once I got out of the routine of training it was over. About 7 weeks ago, I decided I would just start working out a little each day to get back into the routine. About 4 weeks into it I decided to pick up that 13 week Walk/Run training program and got on the treadmill. Much to my dismay, the old knee did not like it. I wasn't sure if I needed to go see a doctor about it since the only time it bothered me was when I ran. So I stopped running again. This past weekend our family went to Stone Mountain, GA. It was absolutely beautiful and we had a blast. We took the tram up the mountain and had every intention on taking it back down. Well, me and the kids started following a trail from the top and realized it was the trail to the bottom. So we waited for Dad to catch up, he was lost in "photography land", and set out for the bottom. About half way down my knee started to hurt. Immediately, I got discouraged because whatever was wrong with my knee was keeping me from doing the things I enjoy most with my family. I pondered many thoughts on the way down. What should I do? Should I make an appt. to see a doctor? Should I just stop being active? When we reached the bottom and got on flat land, I was fine. By the evening I forgot about it.
So why do I tell you this long tale? Well yesterday I had an appt. with the chiropractor about my neck. I have been in therapy for months trying to change the curve of my neck. However, this doctor looks at the body as a whole. I began to tell her about my knee history, and she proceeded to check my hip. Now I know I said the problem was with my knee, but she proceeded to work on my hip. You see, my right hip was out of alignment causing strain on my knee. Sometimes we get so focused on where we think the problem is that we never see what is causing it. From my perspective something was wrong with my knee and I needed to fix it or just stop doing the things I love. But, from the perspective of someone who knows how the body was created to work, the problem was not originating in my knee. This was a huge example of the Kingdom of God. In His Kingdom, He has a perspective that we do not have. We see things on the surface and want to fix them. He sees the root that entangles us and wants to free us. The enemy loves to distract us with a "knee ache", but God wants us to focus on Him and see things from His eyes.
Walking through this adoption process has been and incredible journey. We walk some and run some and have gotten a little injured along the way. We have seen Him move and provide in ways we could not have imagined. It's not about His "view from above". It's about His view from within us as He walks through us. "...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." Isaiah 40:31
A quick update on the process: Our paperwork went to China September 15th. We are told there is about a 6 month wait to travel once they receive your paperwork. So we are looking at March, 2010 to travel. Fundraising is going well. Yard sales have been great. This Saturday Oct. 17th we are picking up trash on a 2 mile stretch of road in Macon County for $1,000. Have you ever thought there was value in trash. Well for us there is! Also on Saturday November 7th we have our Applebees Pancake breakfast and the Pike Road Arts and Crafts Booth. We still have not heard anything from the other agency in Florida except they are planning on returning some of our money, but that has not happened, so we are not counting on it. We are confident of one thing. God has and will continue to provide to bring our daughter home. He has put on the hearts of many to make eternal investments in her life.
As for me, my pray right now is this, that my family will live in a peaceful dwelling place, in a secure home, in an undisturbed place of rest (Isaiah 32:18).