Overtake me, Lord!

I live in a very hilly development. Since beginning these walks the first of the year, I have been gradually increasing my endurance and my ability to attempt steep hills. Today I felt a great determination to conquer our steepest hill. I was only able to do it with my concentrated breathing, steadying my heart, and with a short time sitting on a rock. Resting for that brief moment allowed me to gain the strength to reach the pinnacle. On the downhills, I am able to take my focus off the path and enjoy the scenery. But on the uphill, I have to stay focused, concentrate, and determinedly placing one foot in front of the other, breathing in–out, in–out. At one point, I found myself praying for the Holy Spirit to overtake me and lead the way.

Have you ever been on the highway behind an 18-wheeler? If you place your car “just so,” behind the semi, their draft picks you up in their wake and pulls you along with it. I was thinking about this experience in light of the Lord.

The down-hills aren’t that bad. In fact, they’re a breeze. It’s the up-hills that take extra effort, concentration, and determination. When the Lord gives me a hard task, I find the only way I can accomplish it is to stay focused on Him, keep the goal in my mind, set my heart to it, and will my body to cooperate. Resting on THE ROCK helps me gain strength to reach the top. Holy Spirit companionship gives me “the draft” where I flow with Him with less personal effort. I wrote this poem as I was inspired:

Breath of Life strengthen me.
In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.
Overtake my everything.
Conquer my flesh.
Increase my heart capacity.
Fill me up. Fill me more.
Until I’m in Your perfect flow.
Less of me. More of You.
Purpose Divine.
Purpose aligned.