Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth. Psalm 119:88

Can I be really honest? This has not been my best running season ever. I ran a couple of good races in the spring, but through the summer and fall, I’ve been something less than enthusiastic. I found a lot of excuses. I didn’t put out my best effort. Really, I ended up with nothing but sweaty clothes to show for my trek outside.

Then a few weeks ago, I had some routine bloodwork done. Elevated HA1C. Borderline diabetes. It wasn’t a complete surprise. I know my genetic makeup, and I had gestational diabetes when I carried my son. My risk is above average. Running immediately became more significant, and more of a priority. I had a renewed sense of purpose and commitment to it. When it came to running, I experienced a revival.

I find I need revival often on my walk with Jesus, and more often than the traditional spring and fall series of meetings. Just like a blood test can alert me to some physiological issues, there are a couple of markers that alert me to deeper spiritual ones.

Lack of compassion – When I find I’m more inwardly focused and tending to ignore the hurting people around me, that’s a warning sign.

Lack of engagement – When I find I’m not mentally present in worship or in my study time or during prayers, that’s a wake-up call.

The solution is two-fold. Just like my HA1C results require a change in diet, revival does, too. I need to change what I’m consuming whether it’s media or the attitudes or ideas of others. Instead, I need to take in generous servings of truth, seeing people the way God sees them.

Then I need to be more intentional about my walk with Jesus. I need to remind myself of His majesty and holiness and greatness, and the wonder of His amazing love for me. The more I honor God in worship the easier it is to follow Him in obedience.

In a few months I’ll have my blood checked again, then I can find out how I’ve done and if further changes are necessary. I don’t have to wait that long to see how I’m progressing on my walk. The Holy Spirit will nudge and encourage me at each step. I just have to make sure I’m listening and making the changes He asks of me.

What about you? Do you need a revival? How do you know? What steps do you take to begin a personal revival?

Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You. Psalm 143:8

 

When I run, I use an app on my phone that tracks my distance, time and pace. In preparation for an upcoming race, I started using the coaching feature. I set it for the pace I want to run and every minute it lets me know how I’m doing. “9:52. You’re ahead of your pace. Slow down. Great job!” Or, “12:15. You’re behind your goal pace. Speed up. Awesome workout!”

Now the programmers could have left the ‘awesome workout’ part off when I’m behind pace. But I think they left it for a purpose. I tend to get focused on results, on my ability or failure to meet one goal or another. The ‘awesome workout’ reminder points me to something broader. Being out alone in the morning quiet is a good thing. Not only that, being able to run is a gift and a blessing. I shouldn’t lose those simple pleasures because the number on a pace meter wasn’t what I thought it should be.

I get that same kind of narrow view in my Christian walk as well. I set standards for how I think I should be progressing. (Notice, I set them, not God.) Then I have to start monitoring. Am I on pace with the right number of quiet times? Did I read enough chapters? Did I meet my goal for prayer? Or study? Or growth? Am I closer to God than I was last week? Am I on pace or behind?

Now I believe a periodic spiritual inventory can be a good thing, but not an end in itself. For me, I find that in the quest to meet some goal or achieve a metric, I completely miss the joy, the gift, the blessing that comes with a relationship with Christ. It’s a relationship guided by His timing and not my schedule, on His grace and not my performance.

 

 

 

 

My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. Psalm 62:5

I’ve had a very quiet running season so far. Only one race. No speed records. No personal bests. Just miles. Seven this morning.
The only folks who know I’m out there are my husband and a few other runners. And the dogs that bark. Lots of dogs.

Some seasons in our Christian lives are that way. We do our quiet work in the background. We read and study. We pray.
Nothing flashy or remarkable. No new ministries. Just consistency.

Those quiet seasons can be very good things. Here are some things I’ve noticed happening during this quiet season.

I’ve built endurance. In February, four miles was long. Now, it’s an easy day. It’s during the quiet seasons that we build patience and endurance in our faith as we wait and watch for God’s next assignment. What seemed difficult before may be a little less challenging as we developed greater intimacy and dependence on Jesus.

I’ve lost weight. When I put in the miles, it’s a natural result. In the same way, if we put in the time and effort into growing our faith, the natural result will be shedding unhealthy ideas and attitudes that hold us back or hinder us completely.

I’ve developed a habit. I miss it when I don’t run. My day feels “off” and I feel guilty. It’s in the quiet times that we cultivate a habit of talking to God, hearing from Him, soaking in His presence. Skipping out on that time can throw off or whole day.

I also know what I still need to work on. I get really tired after about five miles, so I’ll be experimenting with snacks either the night before or before I leave the house. My pace is not where I’d like it to be, so I’ll be focusing on that too. Likewise, it’s in quiet times that Jesus can offer help with our weaknesses or encourage us with new visions and goals.

 
What things have you learned in the quiet seasons?