Breathe In...Breathe Out...

This morning I was running around like a crazy person, as usual, getting ready to leave for work and trying to be on time and in the midst of that my dad called me and asked me to put the garbage pails at the top of the drive way so I ran up the driveway, garbage pail in tow (which is bigger than me) put it at the top and ran back down to my car.  When I finally buckled my self in my seat I realized how out of breath I was and so before I drove away I stopped and HAD to catch my breath.  As I was sitting there I realized how much of my life I've spent out of breath...

 My half heart can only get oxygen to my body so fast and when I rush and run and use up a lot of energy, I get out of breath. When I was first born I was purple and after my first surgeries  I was finally able to get oxygenated blood to my body.  That doesn't change the fact that as my heart and lungs work hand-in-hand, the harder my heart as to work to; the harder my lungs have to work as well.  So, out of breath is a way of life for me.  

Obviously I'm not a runner.  I've tried to run and that never ends well.  I played sports when I was little (soccer) with my dad as the assistant coach so he can take me out to catch my breath when I needed to.  My sister and I used to have "races" around the house, but she used to give me a head start...and then still beat me.  The humidity has been hard on me too, it's hard to breath on humid days (or when I take too long and too hot a shower...).  Although I skipped most of gym in middle and high school with a "doctor's note" but that doesn't stop me from liking sports and wanting to play.  In college I played Intramural flag football and soccer, I and still love to play when I can.  Of course my breath leaves me quickly and I have to stop and take a break.  I've learned my limits and how far I can push before I start to "hurt". To by quite honest, running is invigorating (for all you "intellectual" types it releases endorphins...and those make you happy) so I like to pretend I can run; even if it's just for seconds.  

I remember one time I was in London with my church and we were in the Underground.  We got off our stop and had a HUGE flight of stairs in front of us.  Everyone started to run up the stairs as fast as they could singing the "Eye of the Tiger" song and pretending they were Rocky. I knew that my chest would heart after and I knew that people with me would "freak out" when they saw me running (because...I'm very 'fragile' to many people...we can talk about THAT another day) but I made a decision to do it.  I ran up each and every one of those stairs!  I pushed myself and felt like I was flying.  Did my chest hurt after?  Yes.  Did I need to sit down and catch my breath?  Yes.  Did I laugh and enjoy every second of it?  YES!  As I've grown up I've had to learn what "worth it in the end" really means and this was one of those times.  

My faith in Christ runs deep, and I know that because He has my heart (as he's had since first created it) I will be with Him in Heaven one day and when I get there, I will have a perfect body, free from any pain or disease or congenital heart defect and once that happens...I plan on running FASTER than the wind...

Emily