This past Thursday evening I headed out the door for day 3 of my Couch to 5K program. I chose a new route for variety. Toward the end of the workout, my legs felt like melted cheese. As my house came into view, I mustered enough energy to push through the last leg of my brisk walk to bring the 30-minute torture session to an end.
As I passed our local pizza place, I took my eyes off my path and tripped over a stick that seemed to be the size of a log, but was actually the diameter of my thumb. I stumbled and fell to my knees. I thrust my hands out to break my fall and managed to land hard on my left hand. Of course I didn’t want anyone to witness my gracefulness, but too late. A truck had chosen that minute to drive by. I hurried to my feet and jogged…okay, limped across the highway and into my driveway.
Knees aching, hand burning, chest heaving, I kicked off my shoes and hobbled to the couch where I examined the gash in my hand and cut on my knee. Once I cleaned the wounds, they felt a lot worse than they looked. I applied Band-aids and hoped for sympathy from my sweet Hubby. He cheered my battle wound, and I believe the phrase, “No pain, no gain.” had been uttered.
Since Thursday my family has taken it upon themselves to sweep any fallen twigs from my path lest I have another graceful move and land on my knees again. While I appreciated their concern (ahem), I couldn’t help but think about how my fall resonated so well with my spiritual walk.
For the most part, I keep my eyes fixed on God and the path He has laid before me. But there are those moments when I take my eyes off Him and focus on the world. Sadly, the world lays sticks and other obstacles in the way of my walk that causes me to stumble.
No matter how badly we may have fallen, God is quick to reach out and help us back to our feet if we ask Him. He does allow those stumbling blocks to happen because then we can see His mighty power and grace at work.
My hand and knee will heal, and a scar may remain, but it was worth it. No pain, no gain, right? It makes me think of another set of hands that continue to bear scars for my stumbling. Even though I don’t deserve such a sacrificial gift, He loved me so much that He chose to take my place on the cross. His pain is my gain.
Your turn: Do you believe in the phrase, “No pain, no gain?” What recent life lesson has reminded you of God’s grace? How have your graceful moments led to God moments?
Oh, I'm sorry you scraped your hands and knees, but I love how you turned it around into something beautiful. Yes, no pain, no gain. I mean, who wouldn't want an easy answer to prayer, an easy dream come true, etc. But often, in the long run, it's those sometimes painful, sometimes long roads that lead the best places.
So sounds like something I would do! I'm thankful that God's grace extends to someone as clumsy as I am. 🙂
Couch to 5k is a great program! Happy running!
A friend is taking treatments for cancer and each day my prayer for her is that she will walk on water today. As long as Peter kept his gaze on Jesus, he didn't sink, but the minute he looked at his circumstances, down he went. But Jesus was still there, waiting for him to refocus on Him. Then Peter walked on water again. It's so easy to be distracted by our circumstances, and we have to keep refocusing.
Oh, so sorry for your injuries! It's great that you're doing the Couch to 5K. I'm trying to work up to a 5K as well. It's sure hard work, isn't it?
Thanks for the reminder to keep my eyes on Jesus and I love Pat's prayer to "walk on water."
I'm impressed with how you turned a fall into something worthwhile — not just for you, but for others too.
And, yes, I've learned many times that the most painful experiences of my life are often when I learn the most. (I think it's a stupid system, but it seems to be firmly in place.)
Anything I've gained has always been proceeded by pain. Always.
I bet your darlings kissed your boo-boos!