After almost three months of break from serious running, I went for my first with the running gang. As my left knee and surgical wound are better now, I thought it is time to start exercising again. I put on a couple of kilos during this period and I do not wish to gain back what I burnt off during my strict exercise regime last year.
I did not expect to run too long a distance this evening but in the end, I was told the gang covered 9.5km altogether. We started at Marina Square, to Shenton Way, to Marina South, to the new jetty at the corner of Marina South, to ECP, to Sheares Bridge, to Marina Bay area and then back to Marina Square.
As my stamina was not up to par, I had to walk a couple of times. My right middle toe kept cramping up so I had no choice but to stop. I guess I did not warm up properly and also have the determination to press on. I stopped a couple of times and due to that, probably there was an acid build-up.
I felt great when we reached the finishing point. I praise God for sustaining me through the run. I hope He will continue to take care of my left knee so that I can resume regular exercises again.
Anyway, I learnt something spiritual from today's run. If we take too long a break from our communion with God daily in reading His Word, in prayer and other aspects of our spiritual lives, we will surely lose our momentum and stamina in keeping up with our walk with Him. We may even fall away and give up totally.
In order for us to get back on track again, we must resume our spiritual training. The beginning stage of having to start all over again may be tough but so long as we press on and not give up, eventually we will gain back our ability to keep pace with our fellowship with God and also growth in our spiritual life.
It is my prayer for my siblings-in-Christ and myself that we continue to exercise spiritually on a regular basis. It is okay should we lose momentum at certain points of our lives because of our human weaknesses and shortcomings. Take some time to do some self-evaluation and stock-check of our lives. What matters is that we make an attempt to resume our walk again after those breaks.
A couple of times during my run, when I knew my physical strength was depleting soon, I just prayed and asked the Lord to help me. It felt good and assuring to be able to do that. In a couple of occasions I could not feel God assisting me. I even wondered whether He had heard my prayers. Then something dawned upon me when I reached the finishing point - the fact that I completed my run showed that God had always been there at every step I took. If not, I probably would have given up long time ago. Thanks be to Him for that.
I guess our walk with God should always be covered in prayer. Just like He had looked after me during the run, He will surely take care of us in our pilgrim's journey ahead. I know He is a God who never fails. Sometimes we feel He does but think again of those times when He had taken care of our needs and responded to our cries for help. Think again of where we are now, is it because of our own doings that we are at this juncture of our lives?
During the run when I found the going was tough, my brothers-in-Christ all spurred me on and that helped. Likewise for our walk, I guess we cannot do it alone. We should and must engage our siblings-in-Christ to run alongside us so that when one wants to give up, the others will hold his hands and encourage him on.
Tomorrow is Easter. The day Christ rose from the dead - having conquered death and the sins of mankind. The fact that Christ went through all these sufferings for us shows clearly that He loves us as His children and that He will never leave nor forsake us.
The question is "Are we willing to go by faith and let Him handle every area of our lives and trust that He is doing it for our good?" It is difficult to fathom at times what God's will is for our lives. If we trust that He is a Father who does not give us bad things and do us harm, then we should give God a chance to work in our lives.
He had no servant, but they called Him Master.
No degree, but they called Him Teacher.
No medicines, but they called Him Healer.
No army, but kings feared Him.
He won no military battles, but He conquered the world.
He committed no crime, but they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb, but is alive today.
He is humble, but will always be exalted.
His name is Jesus, our Hope and Guide.
Time for me to go and sleep. I have to wake up early for the Easter Sunrise Service.
Thanks be to the Risen Saviour for everything today!
"Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." 1 Timothy 4:7-12; 15-16
I did not expect to run too long a distance this evening but in the end, I was told the gang covered 9.5km altogether. We started at Marina Square, to Shenton Way, to Marina South, to the new jetty at the corner of Marina South, to ECP, to Sheares Bridge, to Marina Bay area and then back to Marina Square.
As my stamina was not up to par, I had to walk a couple of times. My right middle toe kept cramping up so I had no choice but to stop. I guess I did not warm up properly and also have the determination to press on. I stopped a couple of times and due to that, probably there was an acid build-up.
I felt great when we reached the finishing point. I praise God for sustaining me through the run. I hope He will continue to take care of my left knee so that I can resume regular exercises again.
Anyway, I learnt something spiritual from today's run. If we take too long a break from our communion with God daily in reading His Word, in prayer and other aspects of our spiritual lives, we will surely lose our momentum and stamina in keeping up with our walk with Him. We may even fall away and give up totally.
In order for us to get back on track again, we must resume our spiritual training. The beginning stage of having to start all over again may be tough but so long as we press on and not give up, eventually we will gain back our ability to keep pace with our fellowship with God and also growth in our spiritual life.
It is my prayer for my siblings-in-Christ and myself that we continue to exercise spiritually on a regular basis. It is okay should we lose momentum at certain points of our lives because of our human weaknesses and shortcomings. Take some time to do some self-evaluation and stock-check of our lives. What matters is that we make an attempt to resume our walk again after those breaks.
A couple of times during my run, when I knew my physical strength was depleting soon, I just prayed and asked the Lord to help me. It felt good and assuring to be able to do that. In a couple of occasions I could not feel God assisting me. I even wondered whether He had heard my prayers. Then something dawned upon me when I reached the finishing point - the fact that I completed my run showed that God had always been there at every step I took. If not, I probably would have given up long time ago. Thanks be to Him for that.
I guess our walk with God should always be covered in prayer. Just like He had looked after me during the run, He will surely take care of us in our pilgrim's journey ahead. I know He is a God who never fails. Sometimes we feel He does but think again of those times when He had taken care of our needs and responded to our cries for help. Think again of where we are now, is it because of our own doings that we are at this juncture of our lives?
During the run when I found the going was tough, my brothers-in-Christ all spurred me on and that helped. Likewise for our walk, I guess we cannot do it alone. We should and must engage our siblings-in-Christ to run alongside us so that when one wants to give up, the others will hold his hands and encourage him on.
Tomorrow is Easter. The day Christ rose from the dead - having conquered death and the sins of mankind. The fact that Christ went through all these sufferings for us shows clearly that He loves us as His children and that He will never leave nor forsake us.
The question is "Are we willing to go by faith and let Him handle every area of our lives and trust that He is doing it for our good?" It is difficult to fathom at times what God's will is for our lives. If we trust that He is a Father who does not give us bad things and do us harm, then we should give God a chance to work in our lives.
He had no servant, but they called Him Master.
No degree, but they called Him Teacher.
No medicines, but they called Him Healer.
No army, but kings feared Him.
He won no military battles, but He conquered the world.
He committed no crime, but they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb, but is alive today.
He is humble, but will always be exalted.
His name is Jesus, our Hope and Guide.
Time for me to go and sleep. I have to wake up early for the Easter Sunrise Service.
Thanks be to the Risen Saviour for everything today!
"Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." 1 Timothy 4:7-12; 15-16
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