"..be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:18-20
Yesterday afternoon I was blessed to participate in a race, but not just any race. This was a very special race for a very special girl named Izzy Trower. You see, Izzy, 13, has Down's Syndrome and, although she doesn't let that stop her from achieving her goals, she has to work a little harder than most of us. So after weeks of training for her first 5k, she was finally ready! And surrounded by family, friends and admirers, she was off and running towards the finish line.
What made this race different from any other 3.1 mile race I have ever participated in was that each and every runner, walker and volunteer was united with a purpose... to celebrate the accomplishment of one child. As the race went on though, it was apparent that we were celebrating so much more. Shakespeare once wrote, "Now join your hands and with your hands your hearts." On this day there was certainly a lot of hand holding and much joining of our hearts by music unheard by human ears... music from the heart.
Ephesians 5 tells us to "be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit" as we sing and make music from our hearts to the Lord, "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything,". Everywhere I looked there were people talking, laughing, praising and even singing. The words I heard were of inspiration, motivation and gratitude. This must be what it is to make music to the Lord, I thought, without using instruments but having a melody in our hearts instead as well as on our tongues.
Oh this was truly a day to be thankful for! But with God in our hearts, isn't every day a day to give thanks? A perfect day to speak to one another with songs from the Spirit and to make music from our hearts? I think so. In fact, today is the perfect day to begin if you haven't already.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the blessing of friendship. You were so gracious to give us friends to strengthen us, comfort us and to help us along life's journey. Thank you for little girls like Izzy Trower who remind us what life is truly all about... holding hands and running through life with a song in our hearts and on our lips. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
Making Melody - Matt Redmond
 |
| Getting some help from some friends |
 |
| Cassie (2nd from left) completed her first 5k this day as well in support of Izzy, with some help from a few friends of course. |
 |
| Officially done! When asked whether she wanted to do this again tomorrow, she politely said, "No thank you." |
 |
| Checking out her trophy |
 |
| Ready to cross the finish line with a little help from her friends. |
 |
| The fast, slow and the in between all joined to celebrate Izzy's accomplishment! |
 |
| Everyone needs to have their hand held. |
 |
| A crazy group of girls excited to see Izzy finish!! |
No comments:
Post a Comment