I breathe in and breathe out.

I listen to my steps pound the pavement.

I look at the beauty around me in nature and in people, seeing things in my neighborhood I’ve never noticed before.

I feel my heart beating and the wind on my face, the sweat drip from my head.

My mind is open and undistracted.

I’m separated from my phone and stimulation and entertainment.

There’s nothing to pump me up and tell me to keep going…

Just me and the silence.

At this point in my silent run, I become intimately aware of my exhaustion and/or boredom, and every step is labor. All I can think about is wanting to stop and wishing I had brought my iPod after all.

BUT something pricks my heart and reminds me of how this is a very connected image to the spiritual race of life. Learning silence and enduring in exercise both take tenacity and patience and a deeper purpose.

I am resolved to go on, to hush the doubt. And I draw my thoughts higher until I can offer it up to God as a hardship, as a sacrifice, as a gift, telling Him I will endure in this Life until I reach the next. I will run to win the prize and finish the race, as Paul talks about in his letter to the Corinthians and to Timothy.

I am the first person to want to use my time efficiently by listening to podcasts or certain playlists while I’m working out! Sometimes those are useful and motivating, and other times you need not be afraid of silence to refuel your soul. It can be a very powerful tool in this busy busy world to calm your mind, exert your body, and find precious time to connect with your Creator in a way we don’t always get to do in the daily grind.

If you are a runner, power walker or a hiker, try occasionally to use that time to be contemplative and prayerful, and as a reminder of the journey of faith that we are all on. Who knows? Prayer and silence might become your new favorite reason to workout!

{ “The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace.” } Mother Teresa