I am not a runner, and I don't have to be.

I love taking a different route to get home from work on Fridays, kinda as a reward for making it through the week. These roads take me along the Schuylkill River, and then through some wooded twists and turns, until I end up on Ridge, making a left onto Bells Mill Rd. This is one of the few roads through Fairmont Park, and intersects Forbidden Drive, which follows the Wissahickon Creek. I enjoy stopping here and following the wide path down to Valley Green Inn, which is about two miles from Bells Mill Rd.

I love walking through the woods, looking at all the wildlife, smelling the wildflowers, hearing the creek rumble by, and seeing people from all walks of live getting outside and enjoying themselves. On more adventuresome days I'll cross over the creek at one of the bridges and hike back to the starting point.

Today I had planned on the hike, but the main trail still had large puddles and mud, so I didn't think it would be wise to attempt the less traveled trails. With a bottle of water in hand I briskly walked the two miles down to the open area around Valley Green, and found a larger rock on the edge of the creek to sit for a while and watch the ducks and geese swimming in the water and begging for food. On the way back I stopped again and climbed over a few rocks to get a better look at the dam in the creek. It was after this stopped that I decided to run for a bit.

I've seen lots of people run along this path, some do it very well, and look good doing so. I admire these people, and I thought that if I ran too, then maybe I would start to look more fit. I think I ran for two minutes at most, which is better than the last time I went running here. I had my steps well placed and my breathing under control for the first minute, and then I had to stop. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears, and I needed to catch my breath. I kept walking still recovering from those two minutes, and tried to run again when I reached the next half mile marker. This time I don't think I lasted even a minute. But I kept walking even though my one leg was starting to bother me.

I got to the covered bridge when I heard the Lord say, Be still, sit for a while. I didn't want to be disobedient but the creek is compressed as it runs under the bridge, and is quite noisy. So I said Lord, let me go to a bench just a few more down, where I can sit and be at peace. As I sat and started to feel the strain that I had been placing on my body, that I hadn't realized was there. The longer I sat, the more the woods came alive again, and I hadn't realized I was missing it. My breathing slowed down, and I could smell the flowers again. Sitting there, I could feel the breeze running along the creek, when I had been so over-heated before.

God stirred in my heart, that I had lost focus on why I go to the park to begin with, because I was so focused on trying to be the runner I am not. Just like when I get so focused on a project at work that I loose site of why I love what I do in the first place. God loves me just the way I am, runner or not, and walking is fine by Him. Seeking His will comes first, and that's what I should be focused on. I don't have to be a runner, and I'm really OK with that.