When you've been dreaming about something all your life, planning, praying, hoping it will come to pass just as you saw it when you closed your eyes at night to imagine it, somewhere in the back of your mind, the thought settles that it can never come to pass. But yesterday shattered my To-Good-To-Be-True Complex. I'm here, in Seattle. I cooked myself dinner tonight, sat down and just stared out the window. This is my dream. I am living my dream.
I think this is also the end of a long season of doubt. God is a tender father who finds joy in giving His children the desires of their heart. But now that I have it all within reach of my fingertips, I remember that deeper still, Jesus is the desire of my heart. I think I love this city and its quirks and charm, but what I long for is Jesus.
I can't believe it finally came to pass, and I thank God it did.
So, here's a toast to new beginnings, fresh starts, and grace that goes on and on like the rain in Seattle.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
#neverstoprunning + #neverstopexploring = Nike + The North Face
Running is how I explore the world. Running has the ability to do what staring at something magnificent for 5 minutes can't. When you fix a still gaze on something, your mind begins to paint a picture of what it sees. But when you run by it, your mind takes snapshots and collects enough photos to make into a movie.
Photos and paintings do not share the same kind of significance. We admire paintings and respect the long hours the artist put into the project. But we value photos because they help us remember. Photos and videos let us relive the moment.
I was never able to take in the full grandeur of Washington D.C.'s monuments until I went running through the mall. Running down the street with the Washington Monument directly in front of me, gazing across the Tidal Basin at the Jefferson Memorial, cutting through the WWII Memorial and steering just close enough to get splashed by its lustrous fountains. There are so many moments that my mind has catalogued into a movie, and it sits filed away in my memory. Sometime I choose to pull it out of my mental library and play it over again, and every time it places a smile on my face.
I often reminisce on my summers in France. Sometimes I sift through random paintings my mind painted from staring at the mountains and gazing upon the historical sights. But I prefer to close my eyes and watch it all, as I relive my daily runs through the foothills of the French Alps or running around the castle at Carcassone or the lake in Annecy.
On my return home from college, I had a few hours to spend in Chicago. It was my very first visit and I wanted to take in as much of the city as I could. Strolling down the streets and waving into the Bean were wonderful experiences. But the moment I will most remember from my time there was running along the waterfront. Not only was the view mesmerizing, but I was swept along by the human current made up of the many natives who run the route on a daily basis.
During my spring break in Denver, I would run through City Park. Only running allowed me to fully inhale the full glory of city skyscrapers posing in front of the Rocky Mountains.
My recent run in the Redwoods is a memory I love to relive. The great trees seem to fly by me when I'm running, and they become all the more impressive.
While these are all magical moments that running captures on film, perhaps running's greatest prize is the way it documents time spent with friends and family. When I think of my brother, I recount the many runs we've gone on together. I replay those moments in my mind and smile every time at the sweetness they produce. I cherish all of the night runs I have gone on with my friends. Our laughter and long conversations, along with the steady beat of our footsteps, are sounds I never want to forget. And I will never have to forget them, because all of these things are saved inside of me. And that is why running is how I explore the world.
I was never able to take in the full grandeur of Washington D.C.'s monuments until I went running through the mall. Running down the street with the Washington Monument directly in front of me, gazing across the Tidal Basin at the Jefferson Memorial, cutting through the WWII Memorial and steering just close enough to get splashed by its lustrous fountains. There are so many moments that my mind has catalogued into a movie, and it sits filed away in my memory. Sometime I choose to pull it out of my mental library and play it over again, and every time it places a smile on my face.
I often reminisce on my summers in France. Sometimes I sift through random paintings my mind painted from staring at the mountains and gazing upon the historical sights. But I prefer to close my eyes and watch it all, as I relive my daily runs through the foothills of the French Alps or running around the castle at Carcassone or the lake in Annecy.
On my return home from college, I had a few hours to spend in Chicago. It was my very first visit and I wanted to take in as much of the city as I could. Strolling down the streets and waving into the Bean were wonderful experiences. But the moment I will most remember from my time there was running along the waterfront. Not only was the view mesmerizing, but I was swept along by the human current made up of the many natives who run the route on a daily basis.
During my spring break in Denver, I would run through City Park. Only running allowed me to fully inhale the full glory of city skyscrapers posing in front of the Rocky Mountains.
My recent run in the Redwoods is a memory I love to relive. The great trees seem to fly by me when I'm running, and they become all the more impressive.
While these are all magical moments that running captures on film, perhaps running's greatest prize is the way it documents time spent with friends and family. When I think of my brother, I recount the many runs we've gone on together. I replay those moments in my mind and smile every time at the sweetness they produce. I cherish all of the night runs I have gone on with my friends. Our laughter and long conversations, along with the steady beat of our footsteps, are sounds I never want to forget. And I will never have to forget them, because all of these things are saved inside of me. And that is why running is how I explore the world.
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