In Complete Awe

Where do I begin? Seriously… where do I begin?

I just got back to my apartment after a walk around the pond near my home. Lately, I’ve been walking ten miles or more a day. Some of you may think I’m crazy.

But I pray while I walk. As I walk, I enter into a deep relationship with God. I pray for those who are sick and suffering. I pray for those who need healing. I pray for God to revive this world and to show His light in every dark place.  I pray for those who I am walking for and raising money for through the Charity Miles app. 

The excitement I feel as I walk is overwhelming. The power. The awe. The majesty I see in the sky as I look up. The beauty in the birds that soar above me. All of it is God’s creation. And all of it absolutely catches my breath.

When I was walking earlier, I had to hold back tears. Not because I was sad or depressed. Actually quite the contrary. In the past few days, I have just been overwhelmed by God’s grace and mercy in my life. He has truly picked me up out of the pit and is setting my feet on a firm place to stand. He is showing me that He is the father I never had. He is the only stable thing in my life. When it feels like I am falling down, He is lifting me up. He reminds me of how he has lifted me up many times before. He is the strength in my weakness. It is only by His strength that I am here, still fighting through each day.

One of the things He has been teaching me lately is how fortunate I am to have this life. No matter how difficult it is, my life is a complete blessing. Because in all of the difficulties I have gone through in my life, He has been there, showing me who He is. I see God in a way that I don’t think I could have if I had not gone through the hard times. I experience Him in a unique way through my storms in life. Because I have had moments of complete weakness, I see God’s strength more clearly.

When I look up at the sky as I walk, it’s not just clouds. It is God showing how creative He is. He makes me smile as I watch the rays shine through the clouds. I wake up early every day to watch the sunrise and I walk during the sunsets as well, because I see God in the clouds. I see Him in everything around me. Sometimes I see so much of God, I am just speechless. His beauty is beyond expression sometimes. All I can do is be in the moment and take it all in. There are no words to describe the joy and excitement that coarse through my veins. I had that experience this morning and I hope everyone has these opportunities.

As I take the next few months off to recover and heal, I am really excited about what God is doing in my life. I am so lucky to have the life that I do and I know that my life could have been worse. Though I have had many difficulties, I am blessed beyond belief. My life could be much harder, but our God is a gracious God. I am absolutely in awe of God and who He is.

The more I learn about Him, the more the weights and burdens I have carried for so long are being lifted. The more free I feel. The more grace I experience and understand.

I want to leave you with a song that I love by one of my favorite bands, Selah. I pray that as you listen to it, you will be filled with praise and joy, for our God is a good and gracious God.