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I think my dog, Liesl is a snob.  Apparently she loves riding in Thad’s Lincoln and will literally fling herself to get into her center compartment car seat.  But offer a ride in my “old model” (not yet vintage) VW Passat and she literally tugs like an Alaskan Sled Dog running the Iditarod.  I thought it was because she likes the car seat we have in the Lincoln so I moved it to the Passat.  No dice.  It’s like she is having a panic attack.  She calms down somewhat if she is sitting in my lap while I am driving and that’s just not safe for either one of us.  Numerous attempts have left both Liesl and I exhausted.  I had about given up and wondered whether Amazon would let me return the dog bed after the return date had come and gone when I decided to try again.

It was a quiet day.  I was calm and Thad had gone to a meeting.  I only had one stop to make at Office Depot for one item.  It was a great opportunity to try.  Armed with a pouch full of her favorite treats, her leash and her blanket I grabbed my purse and announced “Liesl, want to go bye-bye in the car?”  Her response with beyond ecstatic as she bounded into the garage but slammed on her foot breaks when she saw only my Passat parked in the garage.  A second glance around the garage confirmed her worse fears that the Lincoln was nowhere to be found and with that she beat a hasty retreat.

Ah, but she and I were tethered by the leash and so I began to coax her to my car, finally getting her close enough to put her in her nice car seat that was strapped into the passenger side of the car.  I had to tether her to the car seat which was no small feat as she was whining, crying and pulling to get out of this awful situation she found herself in.  A fate worse than death I am sure she felt.

Staying calm, and using the treats, I rewarded her every time she stopped squirming or whining.  Half way into the ride, she settled down and by the time I pulled into the parking lot at Office Depot, by golly, she was dozing!  She got out of the car, piddled on the first clump of grass she found and was a total princess as we walked into Office Depot with dog blanket in hand.  She was so good I decided I would not only pick up what I came for but purchase some stocking stuffers for the grandkids.  The ride home was smooth as silk.  I swear she acted like she was proud of herself.  I know I was.

But it got me to thinking about how often, things seem so impossible that I just wanted to give up before I have really given it a fair try.  I must confess that at my age I am often tired of trying.  You know what I mean, don’t you?

• Every day I start again on eater cleaner, healthier, trying to make good choices in what I fuel my body. Then something will aggravate me and I grab the nearest cookie, bread or anything carb related.
• Keeping track of the various doctor visits that seem to be growing in number because of the various physical ailments that have become a part of my life. Sometimes I just would like to ignore getting the yearly checkups, blood work, and testing.  I’d like to be devoid of them for a month or so.
• Staying abreast of the healthcare system, the medical updates that pertain to your medical history or of those you love can be confusing as well as frustrating.
• Running a household, keeping up with the maintenance, paying the bills, checking on income verses or payables, checking on insurance policies – and, or course, remembering to do it all.
• Keeping up with new electronics whether it’s your Smart Phones, traditional, Satellite, or Streaming or the smart devices available for your home can put you into brain overload.

My mom used to stay “Stop the world, I want to get off”.  I feel that way too sometimes. I don’t want to do anything more, I don’t want to learn anymore and I definitely don’t want to “adult” anymore!  My brain is full and I am of the age where it takes longer to learn and hurts more too.

I realized Liesl is not a snob.  She is just like us.  Like Liesl, life can be really scary, not comfortable, and begs the question “WHY?”

We must do it for our health, to exercise our bodies, our brains, to live and to stretch and grow as individuals and children of Christ.

“Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily engages.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” – Hebrews 12:1. 

We are surrounded by those we encounter each and every day as witnesses.  We are witnesses to them and likewise, they are witnessing to us.  Like the faithful lives of the men and women of God in the Old Testament who persevered despite oppression and cruelty, we are called to persevere in faith despite all odds.   Their testimony lives on urging us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us”.  The “race is the Christian life.  It’s a marathon, not a sprint and we are called to never give up.  This marathon is a strenuous test of fitness and endurance requiring faith, stamina, commitment and discipline.

I am not a big New Year resolution person mainly because I think they set us up for failure.  But as I enter 2022 I want to “leash” myself to God.  To firmly resolve to keep my eyes on Christ; my head in His word and my heart strong enough to run the race God has set out before me.

Like Liesl, we are a work in progress.  Each day we must choose to continue to walk, to run, and to stay on the course for Christ.  By prayer, worship, reading the Bible and constantly working to maintain a Christ-like attitude (that’s a hard one for me); we keep our focus on the finish line – which is the joy we will feel when we will run into the arms of Christ.

How do you plan to run the race of life in 2022?  Will you let fear overtake your faith or will you make your faith bigger and stronger than your fear?

 

Thank you for reading my post.  If you have found it encouraging please consider liking, commenting or sharing it.  Feel free to even re-blog – may these words take flight!

I have additional insights I’d love to share with you found in the pages of my debut book: Surviving Medical Mayhem – Laughing When It Hurts.  To order a copy or learn more go to my website at www.lorettaschoen.com

Blessings for Health & Wellness.  Loretta