Milestone Achieved!

This past weekend I passed another milestone. A 10K run.... that's 6.2 miles!

I believe I have shared this before, but for the new readers, I'll briefly recap. A few months ago, I felt the Lord leading me into a season of physical endurance training. Before, I thought of myself as a causal runner, running a few miles a week just in an effort to maintain a bit of fitness.

After pulling up the program "From Couch to 5K," and working with that a few weeks, I ran my first 5K ever in September!

Following that race, that very weekend is a matter of fact, I was strongly led to explore the next milestone. It began by pulling up a half-marathon training guide online. When I took note that part of the training was a 10K race ... and that it was seven weeks out.... that got my wheels to spinning. So, I checked for local 10K races seven weeks out from my 5K race.... and sure enough... there it was, "right on time," the next phase to this season. And so it was that this past weekend I went out to pound some asphalt in my first 10K race!

When I run, it is an intense feeling for me. I was not born with the ability to walk, much less run. I fought back tears a few times as I ran yesterday. My life has been one challenging hurdle after another since birth, yet such a sense of gratefulness welled up within me that God has me on this journey at all, carefully leading me every step of the way.

One of the songs I listened to while running was Josh Groban's popular song, "You Raise Me Up." God truly may be the only one who knows just how applicable the lyrics are to me personally, hitting me deeply at my core every time I hear them:

"When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until YOU come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be."

Yes, Papa, YOU raise me up to more than I can be....

.... and I'll never cease
being profoundly grateful
that You love
this little sheep,
a sheep determined
to scale the mountains of life,
falling boulders and all.


And lastly, please allow me to share
this video with you.

I'm beyond THANKFUL that HE is with me!



Rise with Him, dear ones!
Rise with Him!

Never let the boulders of life
stop you from upward movement!

Lovingly,
Deborah