Running, a habit that I greatly admire in others. Such a physical statement about one’s discipline, self-respect, and gritty character. Running is not for the faint of heart, but it does have many advantages.
People often love running because it clears their head, makes them feel better.
Unfortunately, that hardly ever happens to me. My mind tends to go in a million directions, trying to think about anything but the pain. My lungs are burning, my feet are tingling, and my legs are sending piercing pain signals to my brain, pleading for me to stop.
Running is not how I clear my head or allow my heart to wonder about God’s goodness and grace.
Luckily it doesn’t have to be. Throughout the ages many people have found their muse for God by various means.
John Muir, a renown conservationist of the late 1800s and the father of national parks was quite clearly moved by God’s creations. “Look! Nature is overflowing with the grandeur of God!”
Muir echoes the revelations made by Paul in the book of Romans.
Romans 1: 20 “ From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse.”
John Muir, Paul, and many others would agree what the beauty of creation is enough to not only prove God’s existence but also move one to worship and wonder.
My husband loves landscape photography. It is my belief that he is draw to it because he is moved to capture God’s handiwork. This in itself is worship. An acknowledgement of something that is beyond and above oneself.
For me, I have a passion for writing. Crafting words together that are easy on the ears to hear. This passion is also fused with the love of reading God’s word. The two practices go hand in hand, for I have nothing to write, nor source as a muse without His word. I often feel that writing is a special gift that He gave to me because not everyone connects to God in this way. Writing for me feels intimate, and not something robotic or that I need to check-off my list.
My mother is person of prayer and meditation. She prays about everything. Her convictions of prayer often move me to prayer as well. While my writings will eventually move me to prayer, my mother doesn’t need a pen for that. She, like my best friend, Anna, are drawn to God’s silent presence naturally. This is their sweet spot with Him.
Yet for others, music is the key, the perfect muse to lift one’s spirits to a loftier place.
This is another outlet for me too. I love to sing, and church choir practice is my happy place. Unlike the gym and running, after an hour of singing praises to my Lord, my head is truly cleared, and my heart is always lifted.
There are many ways that our souls can be connected to God. Nature, art, journaling, meditating, music, and yes, even running are ways that one can find wonderment from God.
I know that whenever I have felt out of sorts or lost with the world…the truth was that I needed to be reconnected with my God, to see His purpose, to be reminded of His love of me and the world, to simply be in His presence.
James 4:8 tells us that if we “draw near to God that He will draw near to us.”
God is always wanting us to draw near to Him. We were created for our souls to be filled by Him. To stop long enough to be filled with the wonder of God is the start to being filled with His presence.
It is good to lust for God. May my heart always find a way to be filled with His wonder.