When The Going Gets Tough

Not too many years ago my marriage was really struggling.  Sean was in a deep dark place. There were no more words of encouragement I could give to him.  I felt very alone and I often wondered where my God is in all of this is.  During that time I had one friend tell me I needed to give him an ultimatum.  Another friend said I needed to just take the kids and move out.  I did, however, have one friend tell me that though she couldn’t directly understand what it was I was going through, I needed to remain faithful.  I needed to trust in what God was doing in Sean, in me, in our family.  And through all of this, even though I didn’t understand the “why” behind it, God would bless me for my faithfulness to Him and especially my husband.  During what seemed like the middle of this entire struggle Sean and I participated in our first Tough Mudder together.  (It was my 2^nd – I find it important to let people know that I have one more orange sweat band then the hubs.)  Though I am sure some think I’m crazy, but looking back, I see a great parallel in this race and with our marriage.  When I married Sean I made a pledge to love, honor and respect.  As a Tough Mudder you pledge to put team work and camaraderie before your course time.  For those that know nothing about Tough Mudder most of the obstacles are pretty brutal.  There are freezing temps involved, just like attitudes in marriage when stubbornness sets in.  There is a lot of mud, just like marriage when times are thick with worry and stress.  There are walls, very, very tall walls to climb over.  Walls, just like marriage when the walls of self defense fly up in an argument.  There is pain.  Pain in marriage of shock or disappointment.

 

(Tough Mudder AZ 2012)

 

As Sean and I embark on our 2^nd Tough Mudder together I am so thankful for God putting that godly friend of mine in my path.  And that I did put team work and camaraderie before anything.  I couldn’t imagine not having Sean to give me warm hugs even when my attitude doesn’t deserve to be blessed in this manner.  I couldn’t imagine not having him encourage and pray for me to get out of the muck and the mire.  I couldn’t imagine not having him climb over the tall walls to come and get me when I need him most.  And I couldn’t image not having him help me through the pains of life.  Actually, I probably could imagine it, but I choose not to.  And yes, through this long haul God has blessed me for my faithfulness.  I’ve had the privilege of seeing the Potter shape the clay that is my husband.  He’s unrecognizable to who he used to be.  He’s the godly man, father, husband God has created him to be.  And coming up next month we will be celebrating 18 years of marriage and 21 years together.  In the words of a Tough Mudder, Hoorah!!!

Update

Our first race of the year has been entered into the books and we are officially Spartans! We had a great time running together even with the mountainous climbs, burpees and chilly weather. We greatly appreciate those friends and family who were willing and able to help with the kids in making that day great. As we look forward to our next event (Tough Mudder) on the 23^rd we recognize the new challenges this event will have as it will test us both physically and mentally. Fortunately we have some fresh meat..I mean another happy participant (sorry Jeff, you signed the death waiver) joining us along the way. We are all hoping to survive…J

 

 

 

Another new challenge we will be facing in the next few months is one we are both VERY excited about and have been praying about for some time. Ruthann and I have both been given an opportunity to join two teams from our church who will be traveling to Haiti for a “clean water” project. Each of us will be going at separate times to participate in drilling wells, teaching hygiene and offering bible lessons to local villages. Ruthann’s team will be traveling April 20^th-27^th and my team will be traveling May 3rd-11^th. This opportunity is something we are both very grateful for and are anxious to participate in even though it will come with some challenges both far and away.

 

 

Please pray for us and stay tuned as we update the blog with more information on these projects. We will be posting more information and content as we get closer to these times and would love to have you join us.

The Burning Hut

Our racing season is about to begin this weekend and I feel like I am already off to a rocky start. About a month ago I suffered a strained calf and have not been able to actively run or workout as much as I had planned in preparation for the event. It has been frustrating and discouraging at times to have the desire to prepare only to fail due to injury. Too often it’s easy to stay focused on the problem and forget to step back and view our situation from God’s perspective thus opening up a more perfect vantage point which is HIS vantage point. My mom several years ago shared a story with me when I was in a very dark place that I refer back to even to this day. If you have Christ there is always two sides to the story, you can both look inward and dwell on the circumstances or you can look upward and share in God’s glory.

THE BURNING HUT

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhibited
island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he
scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he
eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him
from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then one day,
after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in
flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened;
everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could
you do this to me!" he cried.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that
was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I
was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke
signal," they replied.

Author Unknown

It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn't
lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain
and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the
ground----it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

Run, run, run - Ruthann's view

Growing up, I ran a lot.  I ran to play tag.  I ran to get away from getting a spanking.  I ran to hide when the yelling was too much.  I ran to the end of my street because I figured I could run away.  I ran track in high school because I would be on the same team as my brother.  I ran when I was scared of where life was taking me.  I ran when I was angry.  I ran when I was sad.  Even with all this running I knew somewhere deep down inside of me I would always end up back where I started.  I was always going to come back to the beginning.  But would I come back to the beginning just to start all over again or during my running would I come back changed.  Would I be making a conscious decision to be different? 

 

For those who don’t know my back story, here’s a little back ground info on me and my family.  After the hubs and I married we lived in Phoenix, AZ for 11-12 years before Sean received a job opportunity in Florida.  FLORIDA!!!  I’ll admit I was scared about moving cross country but incredibly excited too.  How many people can have a start over?  Move to a new state where you don’t know anyone and no one knows you.  Moving to Florida was a huge step out of my comfort zone as I was going to have to do things I had never done before.  Good thing southerners are so stinkin’ nice.  After much encouraging from the hubs I decided to “be a friend to make a friend”.  Little did I know what this would do, what I would discover, who God would place in my path.  I had never had women in my life that would be so encouraging with scripture, who knew to have fun and laugh at themselves, who would deeply strive to be better mommies, wives, sisters, daughters, friends and children of our King.  I had a good 4 years with these women and then through a series of events we had to move back to Arizona.  This was a terribly difficult time for me.  We moved back with no money, no job and for me I felt like I was all alone.  I was hurt and angry.  Well, what do I do when I am angry?  I run.  I’ll admit I was running to run away.  Literally, this time.  I needed a break from reality.  As ridiculous as it sounds, while running, I would think, “I can run to Florida from Arizona.  Forrest Gump ran cross country, I can do it to.”  Yes, I know, ridiculous.  But even though I was having these thoughts of grandeur, that little voice from my childhood was whispering in my ear.  I’ll go back to where I started, but HOW will I come back.  Will I be changed?  Will I make that conscious decision to be different?  On one particular morning I was feeling pretty low and VERY alone.  I hadn’t even run very far before I was stopped dead in my tracks.  The sun was just rising and the clouds were trying to hold its glory back.  It was one of those sun rises where the suns rays are beaming through the clouds in magnificent brilliance.  Where you swear if you be still and quiet long enough that this may just be the exact moment you’ll hear the Lords trumpet sound, and you don’t want to miss it.  Instead I heard a still small voice whisper to me, “See, my mercies are new each and EVERY morning.  I AM here and you are NOT alone.”

 

 

(it was so beautiful I had to take a picture of it - thank you camera phones)

 

Because of the LORD’S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3:22-24

 

Today, I do not run to run away.  However, homeschooling 4 kiddos, some days I believe I have every right to run away.  Instead I run to pray for others, to run for those who can’t.  But I especially love to run in the morning when I can meet up with God, see the sun rise and see His mercies come forth new each and every morning.

 

What are you running from today?  Or better yet, who are you running to?

Introduction

As an adult I have fond memories of running as a kid.  I loved to run, whether it was running to home plate, running to score the winning goal or even running to avoid punishment! (Ya, I admit it).  Each of these examples came with a reason for running or a purpose.  My intent was to win or to get the trophy or to avoid spankings.  There was a clear goal in mind.  As I got older and became an adult I lost sight of the enjoyment and benefit running provided.  It wasn’t until a couple of years ago I renewed my interest when Ruthann and I competed in our first 5K race.  After the race I was hooked once again but my perspective had changed just a bit.  I started really thinking about my life and how it could be compared to running that race.   We knew we were not going to win first place but our goal was to finish to the best of our ability and give it all we had, regardless.  Our lives are the same and especially as believers in Christ we have a goal which is to finish the race to the best of our ability and give it all we have.  This often times means stepping out of our comfort zone. 

Well, God has been calling us to step out of our comfort zone one more time and run a new course.  The course we intend to run involves missions.  We are not sure exactly what this means for us and our family or where this course will ultimately lead but we know God is leading and we want to run for Him.  Our blog will cover the steps we take in pursuing this purpose as well as the life that surrounds it.  If you join us, you will see posts from Ruthann and I as we write about missions, relationships and oh ya, racing!