Bouncing back from a layoff..

I received the newest issue of Runner's World recently and was delighted to find there was an article that was written just for me. Let me expound. The article is entitled, "Back in the Groove..Workouts to get you going again after a running layoff."
I have experienced a running layoff. A looonggg running layoff. As of late, my running shoes have covered more mileage at the grocery store than the running trails.
I'm not sure when exactly the decline began, but to my best recollection it was sometime after I ran the half marathon. I think perhaps I assumed I had accomplished what I had set out to do and it was okay to slow down the training a bit. The slowdown was really unnoticeable at first, a missed day here and there, the next thing I know, it had been several weeks since I'd ran and my body was beginning to exhibit the physical side effects. My jeans started to shrink. (Ladies you know how that can be) Climbing the stairs to do a load of laundry left me a little winded. Gone were the scheduled runs and the drive to improve my times. If I did run it was just enough to get by, but not really make me tired or challenge me, or cause those jeans to get any bigger. I was lazy.

I think perhaps our spiritual life can experience a 'layoff' from time to time as well. And you know, I think the cause is the same, we get lazy. We do just enough to get by. Our daily Bible reading gets put off and soon it's our weekly Bible reading and the next thing you know you can't remember the last thing you read in the Bible. I have come to believe that this spiritual layoff has a lot of the same side effects as my running layoff. Physical side effects such as stress, or tension headaches become more frequent. My desire to serve diminishes. I still serve, but not wholeheartedly and not as unto the LORD. I become lazy in my prayer life as well.

The article mentions some 'workouts' to help get your running back on track. I have discovered that God provides us with spiritual workouts as well, to help kick-start us once again. Our church is involved in an outreach called "Under the Bridge". This event will take place this Sunday in an area of town that generally attracts a lot of homeless individuals. This is an opportunity to share Christ's love in a tangible way through food, and clothing and really just meeting the needs of others. A way to step out of our comfort zones and be used by God the way the He would choose. I realize that God would desire that I be prepared to give Him my all for this event. To me that means being ready, praying beforehand for all who will be in attendance, being in the Word so as to be ready to give an answer for my faith. To stop being lazy.

My running shoes have been dusted off and have seen 3 days in a row of running, thanks to a timely magazine article. My joints are a little sore, but they are happy. My Bible too has been dusted off, thanks to my God who knows how to best make my soul happy.