Running In Place

I have been struggling lately seeing through the fog of life. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in all that is happening around us, that we miss what is actually taking place. There are times, more than I wish, that I get caught up in the negative things taking place around me, and instead of actually getting involved in making changes, I sit idly by complaining.
As I was driving back from school today, I began to look at people as they were driving, and began to wonder just how many people were running in place. What I mean is, how many people are actually taking advantage of the life they have been given? I see these peoples faces, and they look a lot like those faces of people running on a treadmill. You know the look, worn out, drained, frustrated because they seem to feel like they are running so hard but not getting anywhere. I have been feeling like this lately. I feel like I am missing out on so much, not due to the lack of opportunity, but because I can't seem to see pass the fog that is in front of me.
I see this a lot in the church as well. You see so many people involved in so many activities and ministries, but they don't seem like they are advancing. It's like they have lost focus on the real reasons they chose to do these things in the first place. They have gotten stuck on the treadmill, and aren't really making the impact that they could.
Tonight I have been given an awesome opportunity. I get to speak to a group of local high school kids, most of whom are involved in FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). It is my prayer that God would use me, not to give them another talk about the same old stuff they hear all the time, but that He would allow me to bring a new refreshing outlook on what it really means to be a Christian. It is my goal to show these kids that life shouldn't be lived on the treadmill, but out in the race of life.
I pray that we would all take a step back and look at our lives, to see if we are running in place, or if we are actually making an impact on those around us. If you look at the lives of Jesus and Paul, neither one could stay in one place for any length of time. They were always on the move, seeking opportunities where they could make a difference. And they did. I challenge myself, along with whomever stumbles across this post, to seek God with all that you have, and ask Him to help you get off the treadmill and get back in the race.