Someday, it'll all make sense.

After slipping into a pretty regular running schedule over the last few months, I've experienced a lot of frustration as a recent back injury slowed me down and regressed my progress. I would go half my usual distance before a sharp pulsing pain cut into my spine. I gave it a few days and though the pain had eased, it was still present and the regression it has caused was highly un-motivating. I cursed this pain and wondered why things that hinder the plans we make for ourselves find it okay to make themselves so comfortable in our lives. It wasn't until a few days ago that I realized running more upright caused the pain to vanish. The annoying back pain that I cursed actually began to act as a cue that I wasn't running with good posture. So as this back pain acted as negative reinforcement and corrected my form, I noticed that running essentially became easier.

This principle, I've noticed, has become increasingly applicable to many aspects of my life. I make plans for the future--I think I know what I want and what will be best. God seems to have a funny way of putting roadblocks in the way of those plans that we often fight and question. However, if we can muster up the patience, we are blessed with experiences that unveil an ultimately positive reason for our struggles.


Cause the pain that you've been feeling
It's just the dark before the morning.
{Appropriate lyrics from Josh Wilson's song, "Before the Morning"}