Saturday, January 15, 2011

Hope in a New Year

Happy New Year everyone! I love New Years and new beginnings. It reminds me of how far God has brought me. He continuously shows me how he is the hope in my life. My New Year's resolution has been to remember the hope before it has to slap me in the face!

On a 14-mile run, you tend to go through many levels of emotions. I've said it before that running this race raising money for Living Water International has helped motivate me as I remember I run for more than a medal.

After 13 miles, I ventured on that last one to help push me over the edge in my training. I remembered the quote on my fundraising page,

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say "I used up everything you gave me." - Emma Bombeck


That gave me the final push to keep on. Sometimes we need to remember little quotes to keep us keeping on. In life, in the battlefield, in a race.

Today I couldn't help think about hope. What hope do these children have every day when they wake up not knowing if they'll survive? What hope does a mother have when she doesn't know if she can give her children water or if she will have to see them suffer for another day?

We know that their short-term hope is in survival, namely through clean water to drink. We know that their long-term hope is in God and the ultimate glory He holds. The amazingness of Living Water International is that they not only are able to provide the water needed for survival, but they show the love of Christ, supplying the long-term hope.

Have you ever had a random stranger help you? Doesn't it remind you how there are people that love in this world? That is the ultimate mission of Living Water.

So as I run and remember to put one foot in front of the other, I pray I'm helping to raise hope. I'm praying that somewhere in this world the money I've raised is used to provide hope. That one day some girl, boy, mom or dad, will tell someone that they have hope because God has brought them through so much in their life.

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