"Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:68-69
I've often heard it said that you can't run from your problems. While that may be true, I think running from your problems can be a great thing... for at least an hour that is. Sometimes, in the midst of a trial or test, we can get so overwhelmed that we are unable to focus on anything but "the problem". We can't even begin to fix the problem unless, and until, we focus on the "solution". The solution is, and always will be, Jesus. Psalm 121:1-2 says, "I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."
Yesterday morning, I was awakened (an hour early) by my husband telling me to hurry and get up. Either the house was on fire or this man has gone crazy I thought! I groggily walked into the kitchen to find a flood of water and a husband desperately trying to clean it up. A water line under the sink had decided to spew water everywhere. Not a great way to start the day! After spending a few hours mopping, sopping and vacuuming up the water, it was time for my hero (after calling in to work) to head to Lowe's for parts. And that meant time for me to go for a run. I needed the time away from the situation to focus on God and reclaim some of the joy this "problem" was stealing from my morning. I spent the hour being grateful for the things that didn't go wrong rather than on the problem itself. Running along, I thanked the Lord for my husband being there when the leak happened, thanked Him that we had a shop-vac, thanked Him that we had enough money to repair the leak, thanked Him for a husband who could do it himself, thanked Him.... and the list went on. In the midst of my gratefulness, the problem really didn't seem to be a problem at all - it was simply an inconvenience that, through the gift of gratitude, reminded me that I got to spend a day with my hero.
By running (or walking) away from your problems for a while to focus on God, recapture your joy and to focus on the Word, you might just return with really no problem at all. Funny how that works isn't it? In the words of Peter, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." Run away from the problem and go to the Solution.
Heavenly Father, thank You for always giving us the answers we need. Help us to remember that problems can sometimes bring us blessings if we refuse to let them steal our joy. May we always be grateful for the good things You have given us rather than being focused on the things we have no control over. I pray we remember that running away from our problems for a while to spend time with You is the key to overcoming them. In your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
I found You - Anthony Evans
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