Shade...

I know there are people in this world who love the mornings. 

I'm just not one of them! LOL;-)

I've always been a night-owl who would much prefer to get things done in the wee hours of the night, and even if I am able to conquer my insomnia and get to bed at a decent hour, I still just do not like waking up early in the morning. 

Now, that doesn't mean that I CAN'T get up early...When I was 16, I consistently had to get up around 5AM each day. I was a nanny for a precious family with four kids, and I would watch them in the morning for a bit before piling them all into my 1983 maroon mustang ("Marcy") to take them to school. And while I really enjoyed that particular job, that doesn't mean I enjoyed waking up so early!

All of that to say, my fellow friends who enjoy working out tend to thrive with 6AM boot camps, but me? I'd much rather work out in the heat of day than have to get up with the sun to do my workout. This means I've made some pretty stupid (Don't tell Lucy I used that word!) workout decisions in my day, and this past weekend was one of them...

They say you should get new running shoes every 6 months or every 200-300 miles. Well, my last pair of running shoes was purchased in June...of 2013!
In my defense, I got pregnant shortly after I purchased them, so my running days have been far from consistent. Even so, they paid their dues LONG ago, and with a hip flexor injury that keeps reappearing, shin splints literally screaming at me after a week of Vacation Bible School last month, 

I knew it was time to budget new shoes in. There are plenty of other things we need to spend money on right now, but I knew I truly needed shoes (everyone woman's dream, right?!;-)  so I stuck my piano teaching money in my wallet, knowing it wasn't near enough for a decent pair of running shoes, and I prayed the Lord would allow me to find an amazing sale somehow. 

Why am I so surprised that He did?

I wear a pretty popular size shoe (any fellow 8.5's wanna give me a shout out?) and this store *just happened* to have one pair of sale Nike's left that I literally had EXACT CHANGE for after the cashier rang them up. 

EXACT change, down to the pennies.

So what's a girl to do when she comes home to napping kids and a new pair of running shoes?? Who cares that it's 2pm...in the middle of July...in TEXAS?! Off my determined self went in my snazzy and comfy new shoes...I was feeling pretty good after mile 1 and thought, hey! I'll go to the park so I can run on the trail. I was obviously only thinking with my fashion-friendly feet though, because what I failed to recognize is the fact that once I run all the way to the park, I also have to run all of the way BACK...

Oops.

I got 1/2 mile into the park trail and was completely parched. The wind was no longer blowing in my favor, and I could feel the sun baking my skin. I took a walking break for a bit and told myself to push ahead...but, I.just.couldn't. Just then, as I drug my feet around the corner, I saw a large tree hovering over some grass. I stepped off the hot pavement and felt the wind blow through my hair, and I realized I woud be okay, because I had found a place that I could rest. You see, it wasn't enough for me to just stop in the middle of the pavement, because the sun was still beating down on me.  But, when I found an area covered from the sun in the shade, I found the ability to truly rest. 

Psalm 121:5 says this: 

"The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade."

Sometimes, it's not just our bodies that need physical rest, but our souls need spiritual rest, and the Lord is waiting to cover us, to protect us, and to either strengthen us or just hold us from whatever "elements" may be beating down upon us.  The question is, are we willing to step away from our chosen path and step off into His shade and wait for Him?