I woke up one morning last may during my training and my hip hurt. Like A lot. I remember thinking that surely made me a legitimate runner.
And knowing my hip hurt actually brought me a great deal of satisfaction. Because I knew the discomfort meant that I really was doing this. I really was changing. And my body was trying so very hard to adjust.
The old me has been disturbed.
I didn't realize that's what I asked God to do to me when this whole journey began. But, I did.
And my little spirit must have known that was just what I needed.
I was living "safe", and dreaming too little.
And something inside me was so ready for more.
I suppose one of the most overwhelming parts of this journey is how quickly some things appear to be changing.
I started sensing I was losing some relationships and deepening others.
I was letting go of some beliefs and finding new critical truths.
I was watching some doors close...tight...so much bigger windows could open.
That's what happens when we ask Him to disturb us.
And I had no idea how good it would feel to have my life disrupted like this.
But, it does. It feels good.
And it feels good because it's right.
(How beautiful is this prayer? It says it better than I...)
Disturb us, Lord,
When we are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord,
When with the abundance of things we possess,
We have lost our thirst for the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord,
To dare more boldy,
To venture on wilder seas where the storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back the horizon of our hopes;
And to push back the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.
This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ.
(Sir Francis Drake, 1577)
Laurel Christensen grew up in California, Kentucky and Missouri. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University which she received after serving in the Riverside California Mission. She has spent most of her career at Deseret Book Company where she worked for several years as the Director of Entertainment, producing shows like The Forgotten Carols and launching and managing Jericho Road, among other artists. She is currently the Vice President of Product Development and also oversees the Time Out for Women program, spending many weekends on the road producing Time Out events. Laurel has a Masters degree in Communications Management and thinks it would be fun to someday be called “Professor”. She is the author of several talk CDs and books for young women.