Something Missing

In running distances, there is a mantra; stay hydrated.  When you realize you are thirsty, it is too late.  You are already dehydrated.  The advice in every situation is to start filled with liquid, take them early, and do what is right, even when you don’t feel like it.  Waiting until you know you are missing something is a mistake; it can be deadly.
 
In my journey I find running marathons and taking daily steps have far more in common than most people realize.  Ironically, I do not always carry my marathon truth mantras with me.  Discipline is easy to remember.  Patience is often in tension with pushing hard, so it is always in the forefront of my mind.  Yet staying refreshed and energized somehow fades with the need to get the job done.  I find myself pushing without regard for my soul.  I discover myself making sacrifices I am not sure I am willing to make.  Something is missing.  I am thirsting for more than what I am getting from life.
 
The fact that I forget the values and priorities I hold most dear isn’t unusual.  You can see evidence of this anywhere you look.  The irony of letting go of the very power that can address this issue along with refreshing and energizing every aspect of my being isn’t lost on me, especially in the darkness of the night.  It is in these moments that I hold onto the promise that can sustain all; “the poor and homeless are desperate for water, their tongues parched and no water to be found.  But I'm there to be found, I'm there for them, and I, God of Israel, will not leave them thirsty.”  (Isaiah 41.17)
 
You and I may have missed something yesterday, yet today is a fresh story.  The past is here for us to learn.  In the course of capturing experience’s lessons, we live in the present.  Each moment is our time to hold onto the God of compassion, mercy, and acceptance, revel in the beauty and awe of the moment, and act.