Everyone says not to give into peer pressure, but early this summer I caved into the constant pressure coming from my closest friends to join the Huntington High School Cross Country Team. I didn’t know much about Cross Country other than that it was running long distances. The first few weeks of practice were pretty easy, and I could manage the relaxed 3 ½ to 6 mile runs. But when the season officially started in the first week of August, the training became intense. During these hottest weeks of the summer we were doing 10+ mile runs. We would do a run in the morning when it was cool, but then later that night at 6 o’clock, we would have to run again in the scorching heat. On some of these days, my mind would start to scream at me at that I couldn’t go any farther, but I pushed on through. I discovered strength which I didn’t know I had. I would wake up in the morning, and not want to get out of bed because my body was so sore. But God gave me the mental strength to get out of bed, and the physical strength to continue to run.
There is one workout in particular that strikes despair into the heart of even the most seasoned runner. Mile Repeats. It consists of running four miles as fast as possible, with short breaks between each mile. I remember one of these workouts in particular where God helped me do a miraculous thing. The first mile I ran was clocked in at 6:00. The next mile I ran was 5:55. I had never run two miles under 6:01 before, so this was already a record breaking day for me. I knew that the third mile is the hardest mentally to run. As the other boys were yelling “Oh God”, using his name in vain, I asked God for help with this mile. The coach yelled “go”, and I took off. My head was spinning, and my legs felt like lead, but I pushed through the mile and came in at a time of 5:53. That was a tie with my personal record! On the final mile, I knew that if God could help me through that third mile, then I could push through the fourth one, too. On the fourth mile my time was 5:43. God gave me the strength to cut 10 seconds off my record, and that was even after just running 3 miles. I looked up the heavens and thanked God for giving me that great strength.
Sometimes when we are weak, exhausted, thinking we can’t go on any farther, sometimes all we have to do is look to God to help us through our problems. When you do ask God for help, he can give you great and glorious things.
Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Job 5:9 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
Matt Shideler
Showing posts with label Shideler M. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shideler M. Show all posts
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Devotional 12-30-07
Since Christmas is the season of miracles I would like to share a little miracle story of my own. This is the story of how I came into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
When I was young I would hear about this man named Jesus Christ. This man was turning water into wine, feeding thousands of people with only a few fish and a few loaves of bread, and this man was even bringing people back to life. I began asking myself, how someone can turn water into wine? How can a human possibly raise someone from the dead? I didn’t realize it, but I was slipping away from the one thing that could truly make me happy in life.
When I was in the 6th grade, I participated in 30 Hour Famine. The Youth Group and I didn’t eat for 30 hours to see what it is like to have no food. One of the things we had planned to do was go to a play called The 4th Wall. The play is supposed to help you find Christ. During the play there was a transformation within me. I began to realize that this Jesus was real. During the play I saw people crying. I couldn’t figure out why anyone would be weeping over Jesus. Then my body became completely weak. I realized that I needed Jesus for strength. I needed him to survive. I prayed to God, “Jesus, Come into my heart.” When I spoke those words there was the most amazing feeling in my body. This Supernatural Jesus High made me feel like I was in a completely different world. I began to cry. The tears were pouring off my face just like all of my sins were flowing out of my body.
When we got back to the church, I went into the Chapel to pray. I sat down in the long wooden pew and picked up a bible. I opened up the book and turned to the Book of Matthew. I eventually came to the story of the crucifixion. I had always heard that Jesus died for me, but I never knew about the painful way that he died. While I was reading the story, the mental images were just unbearable for me. I saw my God standing there naked with a crown of thorns on his head, while soldiers were whipping and beating him until he fell to the ground. The sight of the blood running down his face, because of the crown of thorns tearing into his head, was too much for me. They then nailed him to a cross, and he was left hanging on that cross to die. My King of Kings and Lord of Lords shouldn’t be dying like this. I began to cry again, thinking about all of the pain that Jesus must have been going through. The part that was tearing at my heart the most was that Jesus died for me. Jesus Christ died so that I may be forgiven of my sins. I then began to thank God for helping me find My Savior that weekend, and for all of the love that Jesus showed for the entire world.
A few weeks after this experience I had feelings of doubt. I wanted some sign from God that he is real. I went into the sanctuary and sat down in front of the altar. I turned to face the back of the room. My eyes rose up to see the image of Jesus designed into the stained-glass window. I asked him, “Jesus are you real? Did you really rise from the dead after you had died on the cross?” I then began to sing the song “Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord”. As I was singing the song, that Supernatural High came back to me. I stopped singing and the room seemed very still and calm. I was standing on holy ground. I looked back to the stained-glass, and the image of Jesus seemed to come to life. A ghostly white figure of Jesus stepped out of the window and began to walk towards me. He was walking towards me with his arms spread wide as if he were coming to embrace me. The figure disappeared, but I knew what message God was sending me. Every doubt in my mind had vanished. There is no more questioning in my mind. My God is a living God, and He does miraculous things.
Matt Shideler
(a Johnson Memorial youth)
When I was young I would hear about this man named Jesus Christ. This man was turning water into wine, feeding thousands of people with only a few fish and a few loaves of bread, and this man was even bringing people back to life. I began asking myself, how someone can turn water into wine? How can a human possibly raise someone from the dead? I didn’t realize it, but I was slipping away from the one thing that could truly make me happy in life.
When I was in the 6th grade, I participated in 30 Hour Famine. The Youth Group and I didn’t eat for 30 hours to see what it is like to have no food. One of the things we had planned to do was go to a play called The 4th Wall. The play is supposed to help you find Christ. During the play there was a transformation within me. I began to realize that this Jesus was real. During the play I saw people crying. I couldn’t figure out why anyone would be weeping over Jesus. Then my body became completely weak. I realized that I needed Jesus for strength. I needed him to survive. I prayed to God, “Jesus, Come into my heart.” When I spoke those words there was the most amazing feeling in my body. This Supernatural Jesus High made me feel like I was in a completely different world. I began to cry. The tears were pouring off my face just like all of my sins were flowing out of my body.
When we got back to the church, I went into the Chapel to pray. I sat down in the long wooden pew and picked up a bible. I opened up the book and turned to the Book of Matthew. I eventually came to the story of the crucifixion. I had always heard that Jesus died for me, but I never knew about the painful way that he died. While I was reading the story, the mental images were just unbearable for me. I saw my God standing there naked with a crown of thorns on his head, while soldiers were whipping and beating him until he fell to the ground. The sight of the blood running down his face, because of the crown of thorns tearing into his head, was too much for me. They then nailed him to a cross, and he was left hanging on that cross to die. My King of Kings and Lord of Lords shouldn’t be dying like this. I began to cry again, thinking about all of the pain that Jesus must have been going through. The part that was tearing at my heart the most was that Jesus died for me. Jesus Christ died so that I may be forgiven of my sins. I then began to thank God for helping me find My Savior that weekend, and for all of the love that Jesus showed for the entire world.
A few weeks after this experience I had feelings of doubt. I wanted some sign from God that he is real. I went into the sanctuary and sat down in front of the altar. I turned to face the back of the room. My eyes rose up to see the image of Jesus designed into the stained-glass window. I asked him, “Jesus are you real? Did you really rise from the dead after you had died on the cross?” I then began to sing the song “Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord”. As I was singing the song, that Supernatural High came back to me. I stopped singing and the room seemed very still and calm. I was standing on holy ground. I looked back to the stained-glass, and the image of Jesus seemed to come to life. A ghostly white figure of Jesus stepped out of the window and began to walk towards me. He was walking towards me with his arms spread wide as if he were coming to embrace me. The figure disappeared, but I knew what message God was sending me. Every doubt in my mind had vanished. There is no more questioning in my mind. My God is a living God, and He does miraculous things.
Matt Shideler
(a Johnson Memorial youth)
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