A piece of humble pie

One thing I really enjoy doing here is running.  It gives me time to enjoy God's creation, exercise, pray, and think about all sorts of things.  I was out for one of my normal runs on last Thursday, listening to some good music, and thinking about life in general.  As I was running I stumbled and almost fell, but I caught myself and I kept running.  I looked around to see if anyone saw me stumble, and was relieved to see that it was just me.  I continued on my little run thinking good I saved myself from that fall, that could have really hurt.  I was feeling a bit tired, but decided it was time to push myself a bit and run up the bigger hill for the second time.  I got about 3/4 of the way up the hill and was just about to pass the masai guards that were walking up the hill to start their shift to guard our house and a few of our neighbors houses, and thats when it happened.  I totally didn't lift my feet high enough and I went splat on the ground.  I quickly jumped back up and ran on.  The guards asked if  I was ok and I quickly responded, and went running on my way.  Once I got pass them I could hear them having a good laught about the white person that literally just went splat on the ground.  I had a bloody finger and knee, and was scraped up, but most of all my pride was hurt.  I am pretty sure that I finished running up that hill faster than I have ever run up that hill before. 

Why share this story with the world!  I was completely served a piece of humble pie, but why share this story with everyone.  It's because I believe there is a lesson in it for me, and maybe for you.  The first time I stumbled I saved myself, right?  I stumbled, but I didn't fall down, and guess what no one saw it.  I didn't fall no harm done to myself, and I couldn't be "judged", because there wasn't anyone there to see me stumble.  How many times in life do I stumble, I make mistakes, I mess up, but I think I can save myself.  I will try harder next time.  There wasn't anyone around who saw that, so I am ok I can just move on under my own power. 

The next time I fell on my run, it was in the middle of people and I was injured.  I stumbled and I didn't catch myself this time.  This time it was noticed.  I messed up and others saw it.  What happens in life when this happens?  How often do we think we can pick ourselves up and brush ourselves off, until someone else notices and then what?  I feel there are so many lessons in this for me, but one is that God is there no matter what to pick us up and help us continue up the hill.  Even when we fall from our own mistakes and our own doings (not picking up my feet to get over the rock ), God will pick us up, clean us up, and help us heal if we allow him to.  We have to allow his love and grace to rain down on us, and keep running towards Him, even if there are others looking at us and laughing because we fell.    God loves us messy, broken, bloody, and beatup, we do not have to clean ourselves up for Him to love us, but we must surrender to Him to allow the purification process to begin to take place.

This brings me to the healing process.  As I got back to my room I assessed the damage ( I didn't stop long enough to know really how scraped up I was), I saw some small cuts.  One thing you really have to be careful about here is infection from any small cuts.  My finger cuts were the deepest, so I knew I was going to have scrub it to get the dirt out.  I also knew that was just going to make it sting more, but getting the dirt out was important so infection would not set in.  This goes right along with the healing process that God sometimes has to take us through. There are times that we stumble and fall in our lives.  We mess up and make a mess of our lives, but God is right there to pick us up, if we are willing to admit we have stumbled and allow Him to move in and help us.  The process isn't easy, it is hard and often times very painful, but in order for us to become purified this needs to happen.  God loves us through the process and walks with us, but it  can still hurt.  In the end though, God can completely heal us and makes us more like Him in the process.

Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.  Isaiah 58:8

CHRISTMAS VACATION

Although it has been a week since I returned, I figured my first post for the year should be about my Christmas vacation.  The first part of this school year was so jammed packed full and busy I was so excited for Christmas vacation for a break.  I was also very excited for Christmas vacation for time to spend with family and friends.  I am so thankful that I was able to travel back to the states this year for Christmas.  It was good to be with my family on Christmas day.  I believe that pictures always tell stories the best so the pictures below give a glimpse of what I was able to do over the break. 

One of the things I really was hoping for over the break was snow :)
It snowed three different times.  This was at my parents house.
The new house doesn't have the hill we use to have, but
it was just enough to provide some fun for us all.
On the sled in this picture is my sister, my 3 nieces, 1 nephew,
and myself.  My dad is holding us back before sending us down the hill.

We had a blast building snowmen in the front yard of my parents house!

Christmas Day.  The kids being the Little Rascals!

For my niece Brooke's birthday, which was in November,
I told her I would take her to Hershey Park Christmas Candylane.
We had a blast, but as you can see it was super cold out. 

My nephew Jude opening up the Christmas present I got him. 
One of my families traditions is to open gifts one at a time,
starting with the youngest.  It makes the gift opening last longer,
and we give them a little time to enjoy that one gift before giving them another one.

 

I am thankful for all I got to do over break and all the people that I got to do things with.  For some reason I really only have pictures of the things I did with the kids :) 

 

Some of my other highlights:

        *  seeing the Broadway show Annie in New York City on the day I arrived back

        *  seeing Jonah at Sight and Sound

        *  watching my brother-in-law star in a production at his church 

        * running on Christmas Eve with my sister-in-law Katie in the snow, although it was a bit cold it was refreshing...can you tell I love snow!

        * relaxing in front of the T.V. on Sunday afternoons watching the Steelers play football, although it was disappointing that they didn't make the playoffs.

        * going to Faith Church

        * making a gingerbread house with my niece Bekka at her school

        * participating in my niece Brooke's Polar Express party

        * hanging out with friends on New Years Eve and realizing we are getting old because we had no desire to stay up until mid-night

        * going out to eat at many different places and enjoying my mom's home cooked meals

        * going to a basketball practice and teaming up with a bunch of the kids I coached to play against the current team

        * visiting the school where I thought at before coming to Tanzania

        * seeing one of my formal basketball players play in a college game

 

and the many, many, many more things that I did that I am not remembering right now.  I am so thankful for the wonderful family and friend that I have back in the States and for the time that I got to spend with each one of you over the break.  Thank you all for the gifts that you showered upon me and for the time that you spent with me. 

 

Now it is back to work :)