why i let my feet do the fighting

remember how i ran that half marathon?
and i was all like...i'm a runner girl now.

well...it's been almost 3 months and i have run a total of 4 times since then.  in case you're horrible at math like me - that's an average of about once a month.  i guess that means i'm a slacker out-of-shape girl now.

when i went for a jog last weekend i decided that i'm recommitting myself to regular running...you know why?

it's a healthy way to exhaust the fighter in me.

here's what i mean...
i live with my hand on the holster, i don't like to be told i can't do something, my blood pressure is quick to rise, i can't stand situations i can't resolve or people i can't save, and...i don't drink caffeine {for fear my fighting spirit may lead to an all out bloodied battle}.

i had medical testing done a few years ago for some health problems i was experiencing and one of the things the doctor told me is that i have unusually low blood pressure.  he didn't think it was a big deal and told me to go eat more potato chips and drink some gatorade.  i laughed but i couldn't help but find it fascinating that perhaps i was created this way for a reason.  i guess God knew that the passionate heart he had set in me would lead me to fight...
for what's right, 
for what i love, 
for my beliefs,
for change, 
for Him and His people.  
and he knew that fight would get my blood flowing...so he set my baseline low.  otherwise i may have already had a heart attack before i even reached 40.

when my feet hit the pavement they hit hard.
when i reach a hill that takes the road up, i lean my body into it and let my feet take it down.
when i begin to feel out of breath i open my mouth wide and steal the air back.

my runs are worship, my runs are a release...

but most of all, my runs are a fight.  

not the bloody, wild, WWF kind of fight but the ones of strength and grace like the art of judo.

i'll always be a fighter and i'll always have to be careful when and how i choose to do battle.  even though i've never thrown a punch, my tongue can cut right to the bone if i don't bite it back into place.  a passionate heart leads you to feel deep and react big.  but if i'm not vigilant the feelings and the reactions can lead to war...and ultimately i want to be about peace.

so i let my feet do battle with the ground while my mind fights through the lies and half-truths of my mind until my thoughts are clear and peace is restored.  

this is how i fight the battle for my freedom...without killing or wounding anyone else {except for the enemy of my soul}.  how do you fight yours?