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Devotion 1 Kings 17:17-24
17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
19 “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”

If there’s something that I’ve learned from spending time in the mountains, its finding comfort within the discomfort. When I first started getting into mountain climbing, I did hikes that were relatively simple and didn’t require a ton of effort. I was staying within my comfort zone but quickly fell in love with the discomfort of climbing mountains. I wanted to keep pushing and finding my edge within summiting peaks. Now, whenever I go climb a mountain, I tend to do it with difficulty and a bit of discomfort. 
    Discomfort is what it means to be human. Going through life with ease doesn’t produce growth. However, living a life outside of the comfort zone brings new experiences, develops strength, and inspires more challenges. Discomfort isn’t intended to be a punishment. The struggles that are faced in life are a part of being human and becoming more human. The discomfort we feel is a gentle reminder that we are always growing and evolving. As soon as the feeling of being comfortable in a bored way starts to creep into life, is when the growth and curiosity start to dwindle. How can this moment speak to us? What steps can be taken to feel the sense of excitement and growth again? Life is supposed to be filled with hurdles to work through and moments that make us see more of the 360 degrees. 
As I am writing this devotion, I am getting ready to drive 3.5 hours south to Durango, CO to run in a mountain race. My stomach has been full of butterflies today and I’m feeling those nerves that haven’t been felt since high school xc. I’ve been feeling a bit of discomfort today and it puts a huge smile across my face. Beginning in late December and early January was when I realized that I was in a comfortable spot in my life, and I was missing something. I started to find my passion for running again and it was one of the first times that I felt so free with the activity. As I begin this summer in CO, and finding that discomfort I was missing, I’m starting to see more of the 360 degrees. The lack of discomfort was what moved me to a new state and what inspired ultrarunning in my life. 

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