23 Minutes

I’ve got to be brief, for my shift ends in 23… 22 minutes.

I want to talk about something that someone said to me a few months ago. It was a girl. She was so persistent in pinning me as a runner- not in the literal sense. She said that I run from things- things that scare me, problems, anything with a frightening face of offense or pressing inquiry. Don’t get me wrong, she isn’t the first person who has told me that I am one to dash off when the waters got rough, but she was the latest one with the banner screaming, “coward”.

While all of this is going on, the wheels of destiny were spinning and led to the demise of our friendship- or whatever it was that we had. It is ironic… actually.  Because what happened is I quit school and decided to move to Vienna, Austria for a year starting in September- all of which could be seen as “running”. I got a full time job and am financially independent(for the most part) and saving up for my trip.

She really had me convinced.

You see, the truth is, I know that I run.  I never stop running. But this time, I am not running from something- I am running to something. Running to adventure. Running to growth. Running towards knowledge, and wisdom, and love, and faith, and purpose, and self-exploration, and, and, and….

Running to or from- I never want to stop. The moment that I stop is the moment that I have been beaten- the moment that the Lord can no longer, will no longer use me. For at that moment, I am but a bad taste in his mouth, and he will spit me out.

-Andrew