Freedom

Running. The word alone elicits a variety of responses from those in the audience. I have heard onlookers say that running equates self-masochism. Others simply shake their heads and say, "You're crazy!" or "How many miles?" Yet those who run understand what is means to be a runner. Those who run understand the freedom in running.

Now when I speak of freedom, you may ask yourself what does she mean. Freedom is different for everyone, yet it is a word that is defined like any other. In fact, Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary defines freedom as "the quality or state of being free" and "the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action." Yet my favorite part of their definition states that freedom is "liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another."

Feeling liberated is my freedom in running. When I run, I feel free. Free from the hurts that weigh me down. Free from the world of work. Free from self-imposed lists of things to do or achieve. When I run, I feel free, but I have learned that this freedom does not come from me. I have learned (more times than once) that this freedom comes from letting go. Letting go of the hurts, the world of work, the self-imposed lists. Letting go of the things that I want so badly to ruminate on or muddle over in my tired mind.

When I let go, I am able to feel God by my side. And when I listen very closely, I am able to hear His soft voice. This is my freedom, and This is why I run. Once upon a time, Eric Liddell stated, "And when I run I feel His pleasure." I feel it too.