Journey to Bethlehem: Day 7

Today was another day with a lack of motivation.   I had a busy afternoon at the office, followed by finishing up some things at home, heading to the middle school band concert, and grocery shopping.  By the time I got home, it was almost 10pm, and I was exhausted.  But I was already 2 miles behind since I didn't run yesterday, and I didn't want to be 6 miles behind tomorrow, so I got my butt in gear and went to the treadmill.

Unlike other nights, I didn't have something in mind to watch on tv while I ran, so I spent the first bit of my run flipping through channels.  And by the time I found something to watch, I had gone a half mile, and I found myself thinking about focus.  See I rarely actually enjoy running.  I enjoy the after effects of running - my body feels better, I feel better about myself, and I look better when I run on a regular basis.  But the actual running is only occasionally enjoyable, and with the level of exhaustion, tonight was definitely not one of the nights where I enjoyed running.

But when I was able to distract myself from the fact that I was running, it wasn't too bad.   And I found myself thinking back to a conversation we had at youth group last night.  We were talking about temptation, and how most temptations are because we are looking in the short term.  We are tempted by our selfish human nature and we seek happiness. 

But happiness doesn't last.   We are happy when our team wins a game, or we get a present we want, or we find something we lost.  But very shortly we are on to seeking the next thing that will bring us that happiness back.  Or we're feeling upset or sad or angry because circumstances have changed.  

Joy, on the hand, is possible no matter what our circumstances are because it is a state of contentment whatever our circumstances.  Joy is knowing God is bigger than our circumstances.  And this type of joy is dependent on where we focus.  Temptation is strongest when we focus on our circumstances, like my run would feel forever long if all I focused on was the the physical aspect of running.  But when I focus on something else to forget I am running, I am able to run more easily.  Likewise, joy happens when we focus on God instead of on the circumstances surrounding us.

So this advent, instead of seeking happiness, I strive to seek the joy that comes from focusing on what really matters.As far as running, I managed 5 miles despite my lack of motivation, so I have now completed 27 miles, 53 to go.