For Lent, instead of just sacrificing something, I rose to the challenge and decided to offer up a run every morning in honor of God for granting me this life with all of its blessings and as an opportunity to replace bad habits with good ones. Going into the second week though was already tough cause I literally went from sleeping in late and having no physical activity straight into 6-7 am runs that lasted 30-40 minutes, so it was a rough lifestyle transition. On this particular day though, I decided to take a different route that I normally would. I decided to run a trail that ran through a forest near my house and had a river running through it with a bridge to cross to the other side. I found myself standing right in the middle of the bridge and took a moment to sense my surrounding;
Light from the morning sun pushing through the barren branches of the trees, the thrashing of waves and water below me yet patches of still and calm waters were scattered, the sound of woodland creatures cooing and crying out, the warmth of the sun balanced with the cool morning air brushing my skin.
I close my eyes after to just take in everything that I just witnessed, and as I open my eyes, I look to the sun and had a very nostalgic feeling of something I’ve experienced many times over; Adoration. For a brief moment, the sun in the sky looked like the Eucharist suspended in the air. In the split second of being aware of my surroundings, God made Himself known to me. In that small moment of my life, He blessed me with an extraordinary view and at the end of it all, gave me gentle a reminder…
Know therefore and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God, in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other -Deuteronomy 4:39 RSV
While God dwells in heaven, I know He is equally present here on earth. In being present amidst His creations, He was there to provide me such a view and remind me of His power. In the rough early mornings when I doubted myself and wanted to give up, He was there to encourage and push me to carry onward. When I decided on my Lenten offering, He was there to affirm me of my choice and to foresaw the greatness of offering it up to Him. Anywhere at any time, He was there with me every step of the way to propel me further into His plan. His present and persistent Love has always led me and brought me to extraordinary places which I thought I’d never reach. Truly during these forty days, I will be walking in this desert with Him as He always has been with me and will impose on me at His perfect timing.
