You Can Run

“You can run,” my doctor replied.

You could have heard a pin drop in the silent room as I turned and stared wide-eyed at him. Was he even listening at all? I had just explained to him that most days I couldn’t get up from the couch without my heart racing and everything turning black. I explain those symptoms and he gives me permission to run?

“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The Isaiah verse has been precious to me for some time now. Every couple of years God reveals more of the verse for me. When the doctor said to me, “you can run”, I just marveled. Honestly, I am marveled at his stupidity! But I also marveled that maybe one day running would be possible.

That day is here. I have been doing what I can since my kidney transplant in December 2018. Beginning with very short walks and building up. But each day is different. Some days I sit. Some days I lay down. Some days I walk. And now some days I jog.

It is seriously just a jog. Not a run. And it doesn’t last long. But it is a step above walking. And it feels marvelous.

As a kid, I loved to run. I played all the sports and loved the feeling of working hard and pushing my body to the brink of exhaustion.

Chronic disease stole that from me for a long time. I’ve never given up exercising and I’ve just always done what I can.

This side of heaven, there are times when I just stagger along on a good day. Other days I am paralyzed by pain, fear, or worldly cares. And sometimes I have days where I can jog.

It’s so hard to wait on the Lord. It was especially hard when a medical professional was looking at me telling me I can run and I knew that wasn’t possible. The Lord wanted me to wait. He wanted me to rest. He had and still has so much for me to learn.

The Isaiah verse tells me to wait on the Lord to renew my strength.

I will wait on you, Lord. And as I wait, some days I will walk and some days I will run.

And one day I will soar.

Simple Prayer

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WAIT!

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Wait! We don’t like to hear that word. But when we “hear” wait from the Lord,, we can actually be encouraged!

Read Romans chapter 8 with me today.

Beauty and Hope All Around

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Welcome! I’m Lisa, Promoter of Jesus, sharing my faith through chronic disease and trial.

Can you give up some distractions today and see what God has right in front of you?

Hope When Your Circumstances Don’t Change

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Contrast Job 19 and Psalm 138. In Job 19, Job continues to despair over his circumstances yet he also continues to come to the Lord. In Psalm 138, David hears a response from the Lord the same day he calls to Him. Can you remain hopeful even when your circumstances don’t change? 

Holy Silence

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Read Job chapter 10 and Habakkuk 1-3.

Have you experienced a holy silence from God? Just what might He be doing during that silence?

Is It My Job to Clean Myself Up?

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Trials = Resistance Training

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“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1:2-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Storehouse of Faith

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We are promised trouble in this world and we are promised God’s faithfulness! Think about and store up God’s faithfulness in your heart to get you through your trials. 

Nothing is Impossible

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Sometimes the bathroom is the only quiet place to go when you are a mom trying to make short videos to encourage others.

Mary tried to understand what the angel was telling her. She tried to understand what God was doing through her. Eventually she just needed to trust the words, “Nothing is impossible.”