A Morning's Run

Tuesday morning I went for a run, something I really need to do more consistently, and I had a lot thoughts come to mind, so I thought that I would share a few with you.

1. The first thing that struck me as I was running was this sense of confidence. I'll be the first to admit that growing up, I didn't always believe in myself as I probably should have. I would say that I'm a lot better today. This morning, though, I was just struck with this understanding of how important confidence is. I thought about the power of believing in yourself. I've come to notice that it's truly the times when I tell myself I can do something, and then go after it, that I am the most successful. There truly is power in believing in yourself. And then I thought, how can I ever succeed as a friend, as a wife, as a mother, as a teacher, if I do not first fully believe in myself, despite my weaknesses and then believe in my friends, my husband, my children and students just the same? I think I tasted a little more of my potential this morning, it was felt great. Imagine if we could, if only for an instant, view ourselves as God views us. If we could believe in ourselves even a fraction of the amount that He believes in us, how much more would we accomplish? And how much more could we be a impact for good in the lives of those we love?

2. The second thing that I've been thinking about was actually brought up by roommate Kristen last night as we were talking about life, and it's stuck with me. We were talking about what our purposes should be in life, and when you get down to it, what we should be focusing on doing every single day. And, I think she put it pretty simply, but beautifully. You wake up in the morning, you pray for the Spirit, you serve everyone you can, and you follow God. For some reason, I've just been really thinking about how powerful this is. Mostly I've been thinking about service lately. I really love how wonderful it is to lose yourself in serving others. You forget about your problems, if but momentarily, and realize the needs of those around you. It's like.. you broaden your perspective and your "world" to realize the needs of those around you. We're not sent here to do things on our own, or to only focus on ourselves; we cannot make it back on our own. I wonder how many people we actually come into contact with everyday, and in how many ways we can change the lives of these people - if but with a smile. Imagine that. That's how you change the world. We must just allow ourselves to forget our lives and enter someone else's.

3. So, on my jog, I stopped at a park. I love parks. So much. There's just something about them that makes me happy. Anyway.. I had been to this particular park before but not for awhile. I took a break from jogging and sat in the grass for a few minutes. It was pretty chilly, but the silence was worth it. There were a few birds chirping and the sounds of distant cars. There was a slight breeze through the trees, but other than all of this, it was silent. It reminded me of the importance of taking the time to be still. In this world full of bombardments, it is essential that we take the time necessary to pause from our hectic schedules and reflect and listen. How else do we expect to be able to feel the Spirit? Only through the still silence can we feel His love and His peace more abundantly in our lives. This experience also helped me remember how important it is to listen while praying. Just as important as it is to pray for things, it is important to take the time to pause and just listen.

4. While I sat there in the silence, I heard a small plane overhead. I thought about how small I must look to them, if they could even see me at all. We're all so small. And if you think about it too much, you can begin to seem insignificant. But, you know, what's so amazing about it all is, as small as we might seem on this earth, in this vast universe we are of infinite worth and we have infinite potential - in this life and the next. I'm really on a "changing the world" kick, so to speak, but honestly.. We might be small, and our influence might not seem to reach beyond those on our block, but we can change the world through the choices we make, through the small acts of service, through smiles.. It really is simple.

These are just the beginnings of a lot of thoughts that I've had lately. I would (and might) expound upon them, but I fear I'd never stop writing. If you have any thoughts, feel free to share :)