Ditch the Watch!

I am reading this book on running. The premise behind the book is to run on a given day based on the way you feel. Now, you would say, isn't that how everyone runs? I would say yes, if you haven't been spending the last year checking your pace, interval splits, on a watch that is almost as big as your forearm! I used to know how to just run. I used to go outside and run like nobody's business and come home and think, "man I wonder how that went?" Yet, somewhere along the way I got lost. I started thinking that I needed to be checking every mile and every pace because that is what I was told would make me a better runner. I was told that if I ran 20 miles at 8:20 I could definately run a marathon faster than that! My life became about what my watch said and not about my insticts, my heart, my own sweat.

As I turned each page of this book, God spoke to me. He showed me that not only had I become so pressed on getting a certain time in running but it boiled over into my life. I was trudging through without paying attention to how I felt. So often, we can make decisions in life based on facts. These facts we think are all we need. If it is rational, we should do it. If we want to get promoted, we should earn a higher degree. If we want to run faster, work harder, make more friends, even tell people about God, we must push harder until all the facts are in line.

This is not entirely the case. If we forget how to live by feeling, we miss out on the joy of living. There is so much joy in leaving my watch at home and running holes in my shoes. I have no idea what I did for pace but man it sure was fun! The same is true in my life. Who cares what people think about me? Who cares if I say all the right things? Who cares if I upset a million people with my blogposts? If I'm not living, I would rather give up.

So I encourage you to look at your life with a clear lense. Are you checking your watch, making sure the facts are right? Or are you living my the seat of your pants? It is important to review the facts and make a decision based on part by them and part instinct. I pray that you would release all the things that tie you to a certain way of life and embrace a new one, one that is full of joy, peace, and contentment.

Ditch the watch...its too heavy anyways. You are great, no matter the pace, no matter the time on the clock. Your award in heaven is far greater than anything you can achieve here on earth. Look up and surrender, the result is life, a full one.