Life keeps throwing me stones and I keep finding diamonds.
Ana claudia antunes
My oldest son was on the track team in middle school, starting in 6th grade. His events were the 110 meter and 300 meter hurdles. Watching him glide over them with ease was like watching art in motion. In the beginning, his times were horrible!
In the beginning!
In track, no matter the event, the athlete is running against the clock. The quicker the time, the better!
When my son first started, his time was 21 seconds for the 110 meter hurdles. Yes, that’s fast for the 110 but too slow for a hurdler. For the 300 hurdles his time was over one minute and that is most certainly NOT the ideal time.
Remember, this was in the beginning.
As time passed and the more he practiced, his times were quicker and quicker. He graduated high school with a time of 14.3 seconds for the 110 meter hurdles and 43 seconds for the 300 meter hurdles!
Reaching those times was not an overnight process. It took years, patience, constant practice, motivational lectures, not speeches, and encouragment. Most of the time, it took a fellow competitor to light a fire under his feet. During competition, when he raced against someone with comparable times, it motivated him to run faster!
Run faster!
In life, when we have hurdles, we try to run faster to speed through and out run the situation. That only works in track. That doesn’t work in real life! Our experiences are our only “competition.”
Our hurdles are coming whether we are ready or not. We WILL stumble and fall. But, what we most often forget is that we get back up.
Our hurdles are part of our story.
We can use it as a testimony or we can us it as a crutch.
Jumping over a hurdle seems impossible, in the beginning.
The more you do it, the “easier” it becomes, especially when you have faith and believe in God.
Most times we experience life in a way that leaves us in such confusion that we try, with everything we have, to lean on our own understanding. But God tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6…“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
When my son started track, I didn’t understand how it worked. He tried to explain it to me in a way I could understand but it wasn’t until his sophomore year that I truly understood. Then, I began wondering and worrying about him falling and getting hurt, possibly breaking his leg or severely twisting his ankle.
When he became frustrated and moody, as a parent, I felt the need to check him and remind him who was the child and who was the adult. Over time, I learning to not worry so much about his mood but understand and appreciate his desired from greatness.
His junior year he had groin pains and serious stomach issues and I began worrying about how it would factor into him continuing to run over the hurdles and any track scholarship opportunities.
I was spending too much time worrying about something I could not control.
Just like me worrying about what would happen on my first ever plane ride, as I share here — worrying over something I could not control.
These are small examples of how I used to be that person who worried too much. I tried being proactive so I wouldn’t get to a point of worry and stress. That never worked, no matter how much I wanted it too.
Now, I no longer worry because God has shown me in so many ways how useless worrying is and how powerful it is to be filled with faith in Him.
My son’s hurdles helped him conquer his other hurdles. He received a full academic and partial track scholarship.
And I was worried.
How embarrassing to be worried and not have faith, huh? No. I had faith. I didn’t rely on it.
For some people faith is only activated in times of trouble. That’s not how faith works. You have to BE a person of faith, BE a person who has faith in God, and BE a person who relies on faith!
If you pray then you don’t need to worry. You can’t do both — pray and worry.
The hurdles you’re currently experiencing and the hurdles you will experience are part of your story. It doesn’t define you. Don’t try to ‘lean on your own understanding‘ or question God. Have faith that God knows you can jump them because He won’t put more on you than you can handle.
Are you ready to activate your faith and glide over your hurdles?
