ut omnes unum sint

I ran today. It was the first voluntary jog in two years, the pain was intense, the weather was supreme, and my God was revealed, once again, in might.
As i laced up my new pair of sauconys i felt exhilaration begin to enter my body. The rubber of my shoes hit the road hard, and my legs soon swept me far from my front porch. The smile that grew on my face could not be stopped, I was back in the game, and i was fast. just like the days in my past.
The wind was blowing hard, cannons were splitting the sky somewhere above me, and occasionally a single raindrop would pierce my lip or chest, a storm was brewing. I rounded the first corner, and began my descent down a hill. My bounds grew larger as the hill pulled me down itself. However, the fast descent soon became a steep ascent and i kicked my legs not missing a beat, my pride grew as the defeated obstacle lay behind me.
My destination was a graveyard that i have been driving past my entire life. I never really noticed it, however, till earlier this week when i passed it again and was struck by its beauty. As one drives past this place they see that it is upon a hill. The grave stones are scattered amongst tall oaks, junipers, and maples that stand strong through the ages, like the stone markers, but unlike our bodies. My mind was on my destination as the pain began to increase in my legs, and the reminder of why i disliked running began to grow. Then there, i saw it the blood red sun that was shrouded by pools of pink clouds. This was a sight that could make me forget my pain, and it did, but only for a time.
The pain then hit my side, and i almost had to look down to see if i needed to remove a knife from my stomach. What happened to the man full of life minutes earlier? He was replaced with someone who now saw and felt the reality of life.
I told my self i would not stop running until i reached the graveyard, but i was becoming more and more tired. As i became weaker it seemed the world around me was growing stronger and more powerful. The wind pushed on my sides made the trees explode with applause for this lone, tired person. I saw my destination ahead and picked up my pace i came to the hill and ran up it hard, only to collapse at the crest. I lay in the grass as the tombstones watched curiously. My chest heaved up and fell down, convulsing much like the tree branches above me. My spinning mind wished the rain to pour from the sky, yet only tantalizing small drops occasionally touched my face. My feeble panting body had no power over nature. How could i ever think i was strong?
John Aggrey was the most prominent nearby grave. According to his grave he was also known as "Aggrey of Africa" he was born there and came to America. He was educated at Columbia University and became a professor at Livingstone College, a local place of education. On his headstone was carved the latin sentence "Ut Omnes Unum Sint". Those words felt like a hidden message from a different world, and in many ways they were. I decided i would look up their meaning when i returned home.
I reluctantly began my run home, at a much slower beat of my feet. Now that i was returning, i saw what was happening behind my back on my run out. I saw lightning in front of me- such powerful bolts, and i wondered how the sky could hold so much force without being split. It was majestic.
This run made me feel more alive then i have in a very long time by showing just how weak my body was in comparison to nature, and what created nature. Ut omnes unum sint means that they all may be one. It is actually taken from John 17:21 The verse says: That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. Who knows why the creater of this universe would become one with my tired soul and frail body... Thank You! My Father and Saviour!