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Friday 12th June - Stephanie
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‘I go running’.
These 3 words have varying responses from the questioner; from admiration and interest, to indifference and ridicule.
August 2016 I decided that I needed to exercise so I decided to start the NHS Couch to 5k! That first week was absolute torture….running for 1 minute – I’d never even run for a bus!!! Anyway I persevered for the 6 six weeks and by the end yes, I could run for 30 minutes. I’d also gained a new pair of trainers, several outfits for running in and a good set of headphones. All essential of course!!
So what did I do with this new found skill – I decided to start running in some races – Milton Keynes Festival of Running – 5k. It was cold and damp – why had I decided to do such a thing? But I finished and I got a medal. I’d never won a medal before – I was so proud of myself. Since that time I’ve run 10k races and have a few ½ marathons under my belt too!
Going out now, it’s lovely to just run and look at what’s about me – over the fields, alongside Cardington sheds (you don’t realise how big they are until you are next to them) and around Christmas looking at people’s Christmas decorations – yes it is even fun to go out in the cold (but not the wet!).
Along the way I have ‘influenced’ my son to run – he was about to run his first marathon when covid struck. He runs so fast that we start together and then he sits and waits for me to finish – I don’t run fast, I plod. And then in January my daughter decided to join me in a run for the Stroke Association in memory of my Dad – she hadn’t run before! Now we run ‘virtually’ together each week.
By just doing, talking and encouraging I have influenced both of them in a way of life. They run regularly and enjoy the experience, and it will hopefully keep them fit and have a healthier life.
In Timothy we read: (1 Timothy 4: 12 – The Message)
Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.
This was a verse given to me many years ago and these days I have to take out ‘because you are young’, but the instruction still has the same impact.
At the beginning I said that I get ridiculed because I run, Timothy was told not to give up. If I’d listened to these people I never would’ve carried on. But do we have that conviction and determination in our lives when it comes to our beliefs? Are our actions and words consistent enough to influence anyone?
Timothy was also told to teach not only by words, but by demeanour and integrity. I don’t know if I’ve influenced anyone in their Christian life, and if I have whether that influence was for the good. But who knows and who knows what the future holds?
Science tells us that in order for the motion of an object to change, a force must act upon it and that there is a relationship between acceleration, force and mass. Covid-19 is certainly a force which has acted upon us all – we’ve had no choice. But there have been many good things that have come out of these unprecedented times and to ensure the good things continue; the community spirit, the helping of others, church crashing the internet on a Sunday morning we must be an influence, our actions and words be consistent so that we balance out all the other influences that will return once ‘normality’ comes.
Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.
These 3 words have varying responses from the questioner; from admiration and interest, to indifference and ridicule.
August 2016 I decided that I needed to exercise so I decided to start the NHS Couch to 5k! That first week was absolute torture….running for 1 minute – I’d never even run for a bus!!! Anyway I persevered for the 6 six weeks and by the end yes, I could run for 30 minutes. I’d also gained a new pair of trainers, several outfits for running in and a good set of headphones. All essential of course!!
So what did I do with this new found skill – I decided to start running in some races – Milton Keynes Festival of Running – 5k. It was cold and damp – why had I decided to do such a thing? But I finished and I got a medal. I’d never won a medal before – I was so proud of myself. Since that time I’ve run 10k races and have a few ½ marathons under my belt too!
Going out now, it’s lovely to just run and look at what’s about me – over the fields, alongside Cardington sheds (you don’t realise how big they are until you are next to them) and around Christmas looking at people’s Christmas decorations – yes it is even fun to go out in the cold (but not the wet!).
Along the way I have ‘influenced’ my son to run – he was about to run his first marathon when covid struck. He runs so fast that we start together and then he sits and waits for me to finish – I don’t run fast, I plod. And then in January my daughter decided to join me in a run for the Stroke Association in memory of my Dad – she hadn’t run before! Now we run ‘virtually’ together each week.
By just doing, talking and encouraging I have influenced both of them in a way of life. They run regularly and enjoy the experience, and it will hopefully keep them fit and have a healthier life.
In Timothy we read: (1 Timothy 4: 12 – The Message)
Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.
This was a verse given to me many years ago and these days I have to take out ‘because you are young’, but the instruction still has the same impact.
At the beginning I said that I get ridiculed because I run, Timothy was told not to give up. If I’d listened to these people I never would’ve carried on. But do we have that conviction and determination in our lives when it comes to our beliefs? Are our actions and words consistent enough to influence anyone?
Timothy was also told to teach not only by words, but by demeanour and integrity. I don’t know if I’ve influenced anyone in their Christian life, and if I have whether that influence was for the good. But who knows and who knows what the future holds?
Science tells us that in order for the motion of an object to change, a force must act upon it and that there is a relationship between acceleration, force and mass. Covid-19 is certainly a force which has acted upon us all – we’ve had no choice. But there have been many good things that have come out of these unprecedented times and to ensure the good things continue; the community spirit, the helping of others, church crashing the internet on a Sunday morning we must be an influence, our actions and words be consistent so that we balance out all the other influences that will return once ‘normality’ comes.
Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.
Note: This series of 'Pause for Thought' started on Monday 4th May. To find these previous thoughts go to the Archive section of the website listed under the 'more.....' tab at the top of the page. On the 'Daily Pause for Thought' section of the website we will only keep 2 weeks of contributions before putting them into the Archive.
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