Survival Mode

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12:1-2

Springtime in Middle Tennessee is exactly what it should be: warm afternoons and cool evenings. The first signs of spring here are the cherry blossoms and red buds. The purple pops of color are a welcome arrival and are a sign of new life and new beginnings peeking out from the branches of winter. Along with the beauty of trees blossoming, comes a whole lot of rain! When you are running in the rain, you can't look very far ahead. If you look up, you are pelted with rain drops in your face and depending on how hard it is raining, you can't see too much ahead of you. You have to focus on the road right in front of you.

Last week I was determined to get a run in one morning even though it was raining. It was just a drizzle, but it was cold and kind of miserable. I'm glad I got out and completed my run, but as I was running I couldn't think of much else besides the rain running down my face, that I felt cold, and I was ready to just be finished. I was in survival mode. 

Dreary, rainy run

A few days later I ran the same route on the most gorgeous day with perfectly blue skies and flowers that seemed to be actually popping up as I was running by. I didn't have to look straight down at the road, but lifted my head and looked up at all of the beauty around me.

Red buds under a blue sky

In life, we sometimes need to lift up our eyes and see the beauty around us. It's impossible to do when we are in survival mode. When the rain is falling all around us, we can't see through it, we can't lift our faces against it. We feel hopeless. Mercifully, God brings us out of survival mode so that we can catch a glimpse of the bigger picture. It might be for a moment or it might be longer, but that's when the clouds clear out and new life begins to bloom around us. That's where hope lives.