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Outdoor Truths: Aiming Outdoorsmen Toward Christ Sept. 13th
The mornings are beginning to get cooler. Just today, the thermometer showed temperatures in the lower 50’s. The air seems as satisfying as a cool glass of water. And I’m not the only one who agrees. More people are enjoying the outdoors since they don’t have to endure the sweltering heat and humidity. This is many peoples favorite time of year. I can see why. I, on the other hand, love being outside on any given day or time of year; especially early in the morning. And when I am unable to I can get discouraged.
I have mentioned here before how I enjoy running. For some reason, I’m always hesitant to write about this part of my life. I’m not one who feels comfortable posting my running on Facebook or other social sites. There’s nothing wrong with any of this. It’s just me. So, you can sense my uneasiness about telling this particular story. But I so wanted to perhaps encourage you through a recent episode of my life.
A few months ago, I was injured while running. I simply strained a muscle around my knee. I didn’t fall or step on something strange; I just felt a sudden pain. I was able to run through it to some degree, but knew that I would have to take a few days off. What started off as a few days, ended up becoming news that my running days might be over. I was devastated for lots of reasons, but I think mainly because it was something that I loved so much, made me so thankful, and cost very little. Unlike some of you more holy types, I questioned God. In the meantime, I thought I might try to ride my bike. Several years ago, I got into this sport as well, riding both in the mountains and on the road. But I had never ridden more than 15 miles. I soon discovered that my knee didn’t hurt when I biked and it even strengthened it. After a couple of weeks of doing this, I began to get the same thrill from riding as I did from running. And after a few more weeks, I was able to lace my running shoes back up and begin the process of seeing whether I could run or not.
The good news is that I am running again. I’ve not fully recovered the miles that I once ran, but I did my first 5 miler the other day, and thanked God for every step. More good news comes from the fact that I now have ridden my bicycle distances that I never thought I would. God replaced what was lost with something more and better.
Why do I share this with you? Because right now, God has seemingly taken something from you. It seems like a loss that you will never overcome. It has devastated you and you are questioning God. Please know that while the scar from your injury will never go away, the story that goes with it may not be complete. And know that while you may never fully recover your loss, God may just have something else for you that will bring a joy you have never known. Trust Him.

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