I don’t make any money blogging. Well, that’s not entirely true. All of last year, I made just over $7 from AdSense and then I took it off and now . . .well, yeah. Nothing. And there are literally hundreds of great writers out there blogging about everything under the sun, including running, and most of them do a better, splashier and more thorough job that I.

But I honestly don’t care. I write because running changed my life. Well, Jesus changed my life but in the last few years he has used running to help, and if somebody, ANYBODY, man or woman or child can read something about my journey and be inspired and motivated and excited and think “if she can, maybe I can too” then it’s worth it. And besides that, I love to process in writing so that my non-running friends don’t have to listen to me go ON AND ON. That’s what my little space in the world wide web is for.

My boss, thankfully, is a runner and gets it so that helps. My husband TOTALLY gets it (having lost 100 pounds and changing his life as well). And my closest non-running friends are kind and supportive even though they think I need my head examined. But having felt weak, and unable and non-athletic . . . and now feeling strong, and capable and like a true athlete? Um, yeah, that will change your life.

It will change how you parent. It will change how you work. It will change how you view others. And it will allow you to enter into your life with more compassion because you’ll be more connected to your own physical self which will connect you more fully to your spiritual self. And then you can really listen. Listen to what God has to say. Listen to what others have to say. And sometimes, in the hectic pace of life that we now call “normal” that 30 – 45 minutes several times a week may be the only time you can really get fully away from it all and just rest. Yes, rest while running. Crazy right??

But I firmly believe that God made us to run or at least to move. Not to sit and stare at screens and email each other instead of looking each other in the eyes. Physical movement, through any kind of exercise that works for you, brings balance and  helps us in more ways than I can possibly cover here. And yes, I just can’t seem to stop talking about it.

So if you’re sedentary, start moving. If you’re already moving, move more. And if you’re already an athlete, keep challenging yourself to the next level. Because you only have this one body and you owe it to yourself and those that you love to keep it working, glorifying God and loving well as long as you can.

“It’s only when movement becomes the most natural state in our lives that we can finally begin to enjoy the motion. And it’s only when standing still becomes impossible that we can finally embrace the kinds of changes that are inevitable in our lives.” John Bingham

Happy Running. And thanks for reading.

Jen