Darlene Partin

Running on Destin Pass

I have the energy to run. I haven’t had it in quite a while. A few years ago, when we moved to Destin from Central Florida to start Shoreline Church, I made some new commitments to take better care of myself. I started walking to get some exercise. My husband was a distance runner and triathlete, so he gave me some ideas on how I could start a program where I eventually would be running 2-3 miles a day. I started by walking for 30 minutes, then at a faster pace. My next step was to start running for 1 minute out of every 5 minutes that I went out. It was really difficult! I felt like I was 100 years old because I would be completely exhausted! The following week, I was to up it to running 2 minutes out of every 5 minutes. My friend Esther loves running and took the challenge to help me. As I added the extra minute, panting and shuffling my feet, Esther could tell this was painfully difficult for me so she started chanting my “vision” for my new life, “Mom bikini and long-boarding, Mom bikini and long-boarding!” I had told her I wanted to be able to wear a mom bikini and start surfing on our long-board when spring came. (Definition of a mom bikini: a bikini that moms can wear without trying to look 16 years old) She chanted it over and over and it worked - just a tiny bit. I was so out of shape, I could not even run for 2 minutes!!! After 2 months and not being able to run longer than 2.5 minutes at a time, I gave up.

I went through the cycle every few months, trying again, thinking maybe I weighed too much, maybe I’m too stressed, maybe I am just not athletic anymore. I just could not keep up with it. I finally chocked it up to being over 40 and out of shape and just not good enough and disciplined enough to accomplish exercising regularly. Bummer. I don’t have the strength or willpower.

Last October I saw a doctor for my regular yearly exam. Well… it was supposed to be yearly, but ummm… yeah, uh, it had been way too long. Because of being over 40 and the extended length of time it had been since I had been examined, she ran a few blood tests. The next day I was getting my hair cut when I get a phone call from the doctor’s office. It was Nurse Sue (one crazy fun nurse that goes to Shoreline - I love her!). She said “Where are you right now?” I told her where I was and she told me to get to the pharmacy asap. She went on to tell me how I was SEVERELY anemic and I needed to get the prescribed amount of iron asap. She said that my red blood cell count was so low, she didn’t even know how I was walking around. Anemia occurs when the level of healthy red blood cells (RBCs) in the body becomes too low. This can lead to health problems because RBCs contain hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to the body’s tissues. Anemia can cause a variety of complications, including fatigue and stress on bodily organs.

Well, duh? No wonder I couldn’t run! My body was not getting enough oxygen to my organs. It was working REALLY hard on those runs. No wonder. I wasn’t too old after all!

Sometimes we work so hard trying to accomplish things in our lives. It’s exhausting. We try and try to stop that nasty habit (gossiping, nagging, procrastinating, over indulging, etc. - you name it!) We try so hard to better relationships, reach a friend or family member, be a light to a dark world. Maybe you are working too hard and you are low on God’s power. The Holy Spirit is oxygen to our lives. Without Him, we have no power, we are stressing out trying to do things in our own strength. God sent us the Holy Spirit so that we could be His witnesses on the earth, vehicles of His character and strength, carrying His actual power. Jesus knew how necessary it was to have the baptism of Holy Spirit. He wouldn’t even let the disciples go out to minister without waiting for Him. (check out Acts chapter 1)

Sometimes a simple adjustment can bring health and life and energy back into our lives. I am thankful for that call Nurse Sue made to me. I feel soooo good, and I can run now, whoo hoo! Make a simple adjustment today, ask the Holy Spirit to baptize you with His presence and begin allowing Him to flow through you and into every life situation that comes your way. I needed that reminder today.

Serving God and having fun,

Darlene