Can't Take the Heat

A week packed with planning meetings for the fall, on top of multiple writing deadlines, has left me out of sync. My normal workout routine has been disrupted, which means I sat in a chair for hours on end and only worked up a sweat once this week. I was determined to get up on Saturday and work out. Not exactly my preferred way to spend the Sabbath, but I know myself well enough that, regardless of what my body craved, I knew my mind needed me to blow off some steam.Since Chris started working out with a group of guys last year, I’ve been solo. I have my own little routine and it works well enough for now. So, I had every intention of working out by myself… until Chris offered to join me. It’s always more fun to have a partner, so I was grateful to have his company.There was only one problem: He preferred to simply run in our neighborhood rather than join my routine of heading to the YMCA. Since the weather’s warmed up, I’ve found the comfort of the air-conditioned room with a treadmill at 0% elevation to be a pleasant alternative. “No worries – I’ll be fine,” I thought. So, off we went. The plan was to run three miles.Part way through our first mile, Chris deviated to find a path with a little more shade. For the second mile, we circled back to enjoy the shade again. With the protection from the sun, I was hopeful I’d be in good shape for the final mile. (BTW, if you’re a long distance runner, just stop reading!)As we started our third mile, Chris assured me that if we ran a particular path, we’d finish right before we hit the full sunshine. We could walk home as a cool down and be done. There was only one problem: His calculation was a little off. As we hit the full strength of the sun and heat, he didn’t stop. He kept running. Every part of me wanted to stop. I’d mentally prepared myself to make it to that point. Now, all of sudden, I needed to come up with enough energy to not only extend this little jaunt longer than I had anticipated, but also to withstand the sun beating down on us.By God’s grace, I made it. Yet even as we transitioned to our cool down, I found myself switching sides of the street to get as much shade as possible. It’s amazing how different it feels in the shade verses full sun. I needed the protection of the shade. If I stayed in the shade, I could manage… but left unprotected from the elements, it was a different story.This is a picture of our lives from God’s perspective. If we’re living in such a way that we’re under the protection the Lord provides, we can keep going. Once we step out of His will and the truths He calls us to live by, however, we’re trying to survive without the tools to do so. We can’t take the full heat this world offers for very long. He knows that and He doesn’t intend for us to go it alone.Perhaps you’ve not thought about it in this way before, but is there anywhere that life just seems unbearable right now? There are many types of adversity we cannot control, but consider if any of your struggles are because you are outside the shade God provides? Have you gone outside of His protection? If so, He begs you to return to His perfect shade.