While out on a run the other day, I thought to myself, "I need new running shoes." Not WANT new running shoes; NEED new running shoes. These things are terrible! They are several years old, have been worn down, used and abused. They are literally falling apart! Sometimes I think it would be healthier for me not to run instead of grinding it out with these things.

As the run went on, all I kept thinking about was the need for new running shoes, and soon I realized that there was a spiritual parallel here. Stay with me on this one.

Don't we sometimes go through seasons in our lives when we feel worn down, used and abused? Aren't there times when we feel like we are falling apart, or like everything around us is falling apart and we can't control it? I know that there are people reading this right now who are in that very season.

We see it all the time. Divorces are breaking families apart, jobs are being lost, people are battling terrible diseases, teenagers are abusing drugs. So many people are hurting physically, mentally and emotionally. Maybe it's time we went out and bought ourselves some new running shoes. Not literally (that's what I need to do), but spiritually.

Now, I don't know exactly what that looks like for you personally, because I don't know what you’re going through. Maybe you need to set up healthier habits for yourself. Maybe you need to work on your marriage. Maybe you need to have a night of relaxation with some old friends. Maybe you need to have some alone time with God. Maybe you need to read some Scripture or pray. Maybe you need to talk to a good friend or a youth pastor. No matter what steps you need to take, if you feel like you need new running shoes today, remember that the Lord is with you in the struggle, and it’s only a season.

While a particular struggle may seem, at times, like it will never end, it is only one season in your life. Things will improve; things will get better. In John 16:33, Jesus said that we would experience trouble in the world, but that we could be encouraged because He had already “conquered the world.”

If you have Christ in your life, you can overcome any obstacle this world throws at you. You can have peace in the middle of any storm. God can make a way, and He will make a way. Just keep believing. Keep fighting. And keep praying.