I Am Still Running!

So I am doing my morning run. Okay, it is not a run, it is a trot. No, to be completely honest it is a fast walk that turns into a slow walk quickly.
Anyway…..I am out trying to exercise. And then it happens. I am sure this never happens to you. But it startled me completely. A bug flew up my nose. Egad! Ugh!
Why would a bug do such a thing? Is there a dare in the bug book of dares that would challenge the creatures to fly up the nose of some slow moving object? Is there an Evil Knievel bug out there? Does a bug reach a point of despair that says "I will end it all by flying up the nose of a preacher exercising!?" Was the bug just wandering around and I ran into it?
Immediately I begin snorting like a pig trying to evacuate the bug from the nostrils. I am sure that there were people watching me and wondering what in the world is the man doing? I soon realize that snorting like a pig does not remove bug particles from the nose. My next move is to blow as hard as I can out of the nostrils as there is now a subtle taste of bug entering my senses. There are times when the senses need to go awol. However it doesn't seem to work that way. The final response to the presence of bug in my innards is a small fit of anger. I am not sure who my anger should be pointed towards, but it does not stop the emotion. As I am emoting, I suddenly realize that I have now stepped off the roadside into the dirt into a bed of ants. So now I am blowing out and dancing swatting ants from my shoes. Do you think there is a pact between bugs and ants to attack common enemies at any opportunity that presents itself? I notice a kid in a car that is passing who is laughing. I call it adult entertainment.
Life is like this. We find ourselves in places we never dreamed of being. What starts out as an intention for health and purpose soon becomes a drama of reaction and emotion. Sometimes the world just drives by and laughs.
It is hard to share these stories as they happen. However as times passes, our perspective is better. We are better. We understand these moments in life do not define us. We realize that we will live. We are not defeated. We just have to endure sometimes.
A passage that gives me great comfort during the difficult times of life comes from one of the small books of the Old Testament. The prophet, Habakkuh reminds me, "Though the cherry trees don't blossom and the strawberries don't ripen, Though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat field stunted, Though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns are empty, I 'm singing joyful praises to God. I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God. Counting on God's rule to prevail, I take heart and gain strength. I run like a deer. I feel like I'm king of the mountain!"
Okay, I still run like a slow old deer. But hey, I'm running!
Pray for me as I pray for you.