thanks for the reminder.

This weekend, my amazing roommate Kelly ran in the Chicago Marathon. Here's a little taste of what our Sunday looked like.

Who looks that cute after running 26.2 miles? Apparently, Kelly does. How she's still smiling, I'm not sure. Finishing a marathon is a freaking accomplishment in and of itself, but what's even crazier to me is that this girl ran 15 miles with a dislocated hip. And she's still smiling after. At mile 11, her hip came out of its socket, and she pushed through 15 miles of pain to finish the race. Seriously?! Who does that?! Being a part of Kelly's marathon experience has reminded me of a profound truth that I often lose sight of.

Everything is a gift. 

I talked to Kelly after she finished the race on Sunday, and I was moved to tears by her gratitude. Believe it or not, Kelly was thankful for every single thing that happened during the race. Thankful for the first 11 miles pain-free and thankful for the last 15 with a dislocated hip. She viewed that injury as a gift from God; as an opportunity to slow down, soak up the fans cheering, and savor the experience.

I've been crying a lot lately. If you've spent any stretch of time with me in the past week, you've probably witnessed it. It's been driving me a little nuts, because I'm not usually that girl. I usually hold back tears until I'm alone or with a close friend. I don't typically let my tears make appearances in public. But lately, just about anything will turn me into a misty-eyed mess, and I can't do anything to stop it. I cried at Leadership on Friday, and again on Saturday morning about the same topic. I cried multiple times watching Kelly on Sunday, and again talking to her later that night. I've cried reading blogs the past few days, and I almost cried driving down Ridge yesterday. For the better part of the past week, I haven't been able to figure out why so many things have moved me to tears.

Talking with Kelly finally helped me put words on it. Kelly reminded me that everything is a gift. Everything. Is. A. Gift. EVERYTHING. Just saying that out loud makes me want to fall to my knees in thankfulness. Everything we have is a gift from God. My abilities? Gift. My personality? Gift. My family? Gift. My friends? Gift. Sunshine? Gift. Trees changing? Gift. Ability to run? Gift. Injuries? Gift. Pain? Gift. If you've spent any amount of time reading Libby Ryder's blog, you'll know that she views her cancer as a gift. 

In so many different capacities over the past week, I've been reminded that everything is a gift. I think that's where the tears are coming from. This truth makes me want to fall to my knees in gratitude; humbled and full of thankfulness and praise for our God. Tugging at my heart strings, however, is this question. How will you use those gifts, Erin? What are you going to do with that information? I know that everything is a gift, but I don't want to just stop there. Everything is a gift, and the way we use those gifts should glorify God. The story I am living is not my own. It's not about me, and I don't want to live like it is. I want to live in the truth that everything I have - the good, the bad, and the ugly - is a gift from God, but I also want to recognize that those gifts should be used for His glory, not mine. 

Thanks for the reminder, Kelly.