feel your feet

I have fallen in love with the message that I share at TOFW this year.
I suppose that could sound odd (or worse, prideful)...
But, I need to tell you why.

On a Saturday morning in January, when my world seemed to be falling apart, the entire message was given to me. The entire thing. Every bit of it. It came from things I've studied and prayed about...so it didn't come out of thin air. But, it was laid out so clearly to me that I still can't believe it.

I knew that the Lord was giving me a message for ME...one I really needed. And I was a little sad because I felt like it was his way of saying that I was going to be in the place I was in for a while.

And then a couple weeks later, everything in my life seemed to sort itself out and I thought, "how wonderful that I can give this message on the tour this year and not be in the middle of the message anymore." Now, you have to know that even actually thinking that was in contrast the spirit of the very message I was sharing, but I thought it nonetheless.

And so I gave the message a few times and I gave it with my heart but I also gave it having not completely lived all of the principles...well, because I thought I didn't need them anymore.

Then April came and everything fell apart again and I found myself desperate to survive in this new place I found myself and my heart and my spirit in.

And what got me through that time?
And what got me to the place I'm at today (which is the sweetest place my life has ever been and I promise I'll share more one of these days. I promise promise.)?

That darn TOFW message of mine.

What Are You Waiting For?

Do you ever feel like you're waiting for a new opportunity or a new week (or a new year)? And    while you're waiting, it seems that life is on hold? Although the scriptures invite us to “wait patiently for the Lord” (Psalm 40:1), nowhere do they tell us to sit while we’re waiting. There are things life can’t wait for you to do and that you aren’t expected to wait for—even while you might have to wait on the Lord for a time. 

I share four principles as part of the talk...four truths that I believe help us in our waiting...four truths that help us to find joy and meaning and fulfillment during the waiting...four truths that help us in our times when we are pretty sure we can't wait (or hold on) one more minute.

They are powerful truths.
At least for me.


It is a sweet thing for me to be able to say that I know them more intimately and more passionately now than I did back in January. The Lord had things to teach me and He was preparing me to be taught.

So...I thought I'd share the summary points with you here...in preparation for sharing some sweet details of my life in my current "waiting". I just think you'll enjoy more where I am if you understand a bit better where I've been. And what I've been learning and living.

Ready?

Principle #1: FEEL YOUR FEET. 

When I decided to really become a runner at Fitness Ridge December 2010, one of the first principles my trainer taught me was this profound and simple truth: feel your feet.

"Pay attention to every single time your feet strike. Feel every step you take. If you focus on that, you won't be able to focus on anything else."

And it was so true. If I paid attention to the feeling of my feet hitting the treadmill, I found that there was no room for any other thoughts. It forced me to stay in the present...not belaboring how far I still had to go...but just being aware of where I was in the moment. And I discovered something really important: By focusing on the current steps, I was able to avoid being overwhelmed at how far I had yet to run. I actually ran farther by not thinking the time left or the "finish line".

There were days last Spring when I would wake up in such desperation, realizing I had to face another day of sadness (you'll have to read back April/May if you want to know what was going on...even though I never really talked about what was going on...I'm vague like that). I was certain that the dream I had for my life was never going to come to pass. Every part of the world I had envisioned seemed to be crumbled around me and I was lost. And sad. So sad. I felt overwhelmed by my heartbreak and  I couldn't imagine surviving one more day. I know that sounds dramatic. But, truly, that sadness and disappointment was that deep. My heart was struggling to make sense of God's plan and will for my life.

And one of the scriptures that I clung to was this simple truth:

"Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God?"

(Mormon 5:23)

I had to choose to believe He was taking care of me. I had to choose not to think about or worry about a future that I feared. I had to choose to focus on experiencing the day that was ahead...the very moment I was in. I focused an hour at a time...literally. I lived in the present. I had to.

And I am convinced it helped me heal and survive a "waiting".

Life is meant to be lived NOW...not lived in some dream of tomorrow or in some wishing things were otherwise from yesterday. Don't get so wrapped up in worrying about a future that may or may not even come to pass that you miss the beauty of life in the present. You are in God's hands. Your feet are on a path He has designed. Feel the truth of that. And...
FEEL. YOUR. FEET.

(image found here)