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Practically every year, when spring weather rolls around I feel a burst of\nenergy. Living in an area that gets long, cold winters for more than half\nthe year, I always feel a sense of happiness when spring comes. And almost\nevery spring, I love to enjoy the beautiful fresh air and new life by going\njogging outside. After a couple times of running, however, I tend to have\nthe same problem every year sore ankles. I vividly remember having to\napply ice packs to my legs for several days to help the swelling after last\nyear\u2019s jogging spree. Once I experience my annual sore ankles, I usually\ndon\u2019t want to go jogging againthat is, until spring rolls around once\nmoreforming a cycle that has yet to be broken.\n.\nThe writer of Hebrews was familiar with this problem, not just physically,\nbut spiritually. Every Christian is running a race in this life to fulfill\nour God-given purpose to love God and others. But after a while, we tend to\ndevelop aches and painsweaknesses in our spiritual lives that have\nsurfaced. These aches are different for every person; while I may struggle\nwith discernment, maybe you struggle with patience, kindness, or something\nelse. When we fall short in our areas of weakness, it\u2019s so tempting to give\nup and stop running all together, just like I did with jogging. But don\u2019t\ngive up! All Christians have the encouragement of knowing godly discipline\ncan only make us stronger through the power of the Holy Spirit.\n.\nMy mom has shown me some leg-strengthening exercises I can do to discipline\nmy body and make it stronger. Spiritual discipline is very similar. First,\nacknowledge your weaknesses so that what is lame may not be dislocated but\nhealed instead (Hebrews 12:13). Don\u2019t try to tough it out by continuing to\ngo onstop and get some help. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit to\nhelp us, as well as our family of other believers in Jesus. In God\u2019s\ncommunity, our weak muscles are strengthened through prayer, God\u2019s Word,\nand the help of godly mentors. And when you feel like giving up, look to\nJesus. He will give you the strength you need to keep running. Lily Walsh\n.\n What weakness are you struggling with right now? Who are trusted\nChristians in your lifesuch as counselors, pastors, parents, or\nteacherswho can help you in your struggle?\n.\nTherefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding\nus Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our\neyes on Jesus. Hebrews 12:1-2 (CSB)\n\xa0\nRead Verses:\n1 Corinthians 9:24-1 Corinthians 9:27; 2 Corinthians 12:1-2 Corinthians 12:10; Hebrews 12:1-Hebrews 12:13