Are you there? It's me, Kelly.

You've heard it all before..."I'm going to do better with my blogging"..."I'm going to check in more..." Blah blah blah I know, you are sick and tired of me!

Well here I am. Quite frankly I'm begging to come back and for someone to listen.  See my Facebook posts are getting longer and longer and I'm not sure anyone really gives a hoot. Actually, I've got quite a few things to get off my chest.

So...today it begins. Put your reading glasses on!

Let Your Light Shine

Have you ever been in a movie theater and someone opened a door or turned on their cell phone? That room is pitch black, but that little light somehow pierces the dark and makes its way to your eyes.  Sometimes the clouds disappear and the moon shines so brightly that I wake up thinking dawn has come.  You can try to hide light, but it always shines through darkness. Sometimes it's just a tiny glimmer, but it's there nonetheless.

It's the same way with the light inside of you.  No matter how dark it is, your light is there. You can't turn it off if you want to. It's your gift. It might be your smile or your laugh. It could be your personality or your patience. Or maybe it's your willingness to help others. Whatever it is, it is God's gift to you.  The funny thing is, your light will annoy some people - just like a cell phone in a dark movie theater, and you may be tempted to try to dim your light.  

Ever had someone dislike you because of your smile, your cheerfulness, your positive attitude, or your thoughtful ways? Don't take it personally. It's not really you they dislike, it's your light.  You see misery (or darkness) loves company (more darkness).  Darkness tries very hard to dampen any light it comes in contact with. But if you pay close attention, you will notice that light always prevails over darkness. If there is any light around, it will always shine through. 

I remember waking in the middle of the night not long ago and asking my husband why it was so light.  It turns out my neighbors had left on a small light on their back porch. It's funny how that small light wreaked havoc on my sleepy, dreamy darkness.  So it is with the light inside of you.  Let it shine and I guarantee that someone will see it. Oh, I know some people want you to turn your light off because it bothers them. They'd rather sit in darkness.  But you really don't have a choice in the matter. Your gift of light was given to you so you could let it shine.

Run On!

Every time my son and  I pass someone running we yell out, "run on!" By a short stretch of my own imagination, I am a runner. But my son is a real runner - the kind who runs races every week and puts in 20 to 30 miles of practice.  As I watched him progress in running, I realized that it's pretty tough to keep going. Running can also be pretty lonely - especially when it's cold or dark. So, his first year of running for high school, I would tell him to, "Run On!"  Then we started saying it to other runners.  Every time I think of those words, I think of people who are running on (literally and figuratively). 

 It's so easy to adopt a woe is me attitude - to feel hopeless and that your situation is unbearable. But when I really look around me, people are going through some serious stuff and still running on. On Wednesday, I went to meet up with one of my running groups. I didn't really feel up to it.  My knee had been protesting all day and I was tired.  I ran next to a lady I had never met. She had been battling bronchitis and had not been to the group in a little while.  She said she had just "gotten over" her bronchitis, but I could still hear the heavy raspiness in her voice and she would cough every few minutes while we were running.  Her name was Dawn and she ran nonstop for 3.1 miles with a  huge smile on her face when we finished. I ran  next to her the entire time because she was so encouraging to me and I wanted to encourage her by giving her a mental RUN ON. I told that old nagging knee of mine to shut up and deal with it. If that lady could run while struggling to breathe, surely I could RUN ON too! So we chatted and ran the entire time and finished strong (well if not strong, alive and well)!



For every single problem or worry I have, I can think of a way things could be worse.  Sometimes, we get so caught up in our own stuff, that we don't take the time to recognize the pain, suffering and problems of those around us.  Take the time to tell someone to RUN ON. Give a hug, send a card, offer a smile or words of encouragement.  You'd be surprised at how much smaller your problems become when you take just a moment to focus on someone else!

RUN ON!