All Eyes on the Prize

I don't know if you've ever participated in any kind of organized race event or not. I myself have done three 5ks, and I am about to embark on another this Saturday. My favorite moment in the race is when I come around the last turn to see the finish line on the horizon and hear the people cheering on the competitors. That is why I run the race. To get to the finish line. None of my races have been pretty. By the time I get to the finish, I'm usually so beat up that it takes every last energy reserve I have to sprint to the finish line. There are moments during the race when I want to quit. When I want to just go jump in some random person's pool to cool off. When the going gets tough, I want to quit. I start to doubt my abilities. I become like Peter...

Peter is like many people. He starts off on the right foot (no pun intended) and begins to walk on water. He begins to do the unthinkable. People start punching each other and say, "Look at what Peter is doing?? Can you believe that??" Peter is super-human. Until the wind comes.

"But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 

-Matthew 14:30

Peter took his eyes off the "prize." His fear took over him. He became what so many people become. Afraid of their success.

Even though Peter's story ends in failure, there are three things we can take from this story:

1. Vision-Peter saw Jesus out on the water. He knew where he was going. He was walking out towards Jesus, just like in a race you run towards the finish line. In life, you go towards your next goal. 
2. Desire-Peter had to desire to go out on the water. He didn't randomly say, "Hey, I'm going to walk on water right now." He wanted to go out to meet with Jesus. He desired Jesus. In a race, you desire to get to the finish line. Especially in 95 degree heat. This desire fuels your motivation. 
3. Action-Peter took action to go to his desire. You can have desire all day long, but if you don't take action then it does you no good. You may desire to be an engineer, but if you don't study or go to school then you're desire is pointless.

Anything can be accomplished with vision, desire, and action. You might even become the person that people look at in wonder and say "Look at Joe...I can't believe he's doing that!" "Cindy has wanted to become an author for so long, and now she is published! I can't believe it!" Fill in the blank.

Don't feel the wind. Don't take your eyes of the prize. But, remember...even if you do, Jesus is there to catch you. Just like He did with Peter.

Voice of Truth

I hear voices. No, I'm not crazy. You probably hear them, too. The ones that whisper: "You're no good" or "You're a failure because you can't find a job" or "Everybody thinks you're a loser." Sometimes these voices progress from a whisper to an all-out scream. "YOU STINK." "GRADE A FAILURE." "YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT."

Some of us are more sensitive to these voices than other people are. It seems like we choose to listen to what the voices say whenever we are going through a difficult time. We may hear the voices when we are on a mountaintop, but they are merely muffled background noises. When we go through the valley, these voices sound like they are coming through a freaking megaphone.

Never fear. There is one voice who will turn the mic up loud to overpower the destructive voices that we listen to. This voice speaks Truth.

"Don't worry...I've got your back. I'm here for you."

"I have a plan for you. This is just a season. There is hope on the other side."

This voice is what we need to listen to. It will tell us a different story. A different perspective. A better idea. A better voice. We have to choose to listen to it and believe it, though. It's a choice. Choose the Voice of Truth and ignore the other voices.

Where the Healing Begins

Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you were hurting? Dumb question. Of course you have. And if I were to take a guess, I would say that you only show that you hurt when you are alone. When you are around other people, say your friends, family and at church, you probably put on a mask and act like everything is A-OK. Hmmmm...that's what I thought. Guess what? Me, too.

Tenth Avenue North has a song from their latest album called "This is Where the Healing Begins." It tells the story of someone who thinks they have to hide their pain.

"Afraid to let your secrets out
Everything that you hide
Can come crashing through the door now
But too scared to face all your fear
So you hide but you find
That the shame won't disappear"

Even when we think we have to hide our pain/mistakes/fear, God is waiting there to take it all in. He wants us to give these things over to him. A beautiful thing happens when we finally decide to do so. The healing begins. 

Waiting...

There's something to be said for those who "wait." For instance, if a wife tells her Army husband that she will "wait" for him to return, then she is to be admired for doing so. In fact, it is expected of her. Another example of when waiting is a good thing is in regards to abstinence. Waiting until you get married to be intimate with your significant other is a plus. But waiting usually has a negative connotation when we use it in our everyday language. Waiting in line at the restaurant, waiting in line at the gas station, waiting in line at the grocery store...waiting.

It is hard to deal with waiting when it is in regards to something big...life-changing...huge. When we go through a season of waiting it is easy to become doubtful, hopeless, and pessimistic. We can relate to the Psalmist who says, "I am weak from waiting for you to save me..." (Ps. 119:81). Waiting gets old. Fast.

I think there are three important tasks that we can do while we are waiting:

1. Pray.   This sounds obvious, but I sometimes get angry at God for making me wait and thus forget to pray. But I always feel so much better after I pray (not that that's my goal for praying) and it helps me to know that God is listening. He is taking care of me and working out the details of HIS plan. 
2. Go to the Bible. Again, might seem a little obvious to some people. However, this is an important part of the process for me. To read about other people who had to wait. For Pete's sake, Abraham waited FOREVER. Then, God blessed him. Job went through lots of waiting during his many trials. But, God never left him. Dive into the Word and find comfort in the stories of those who have waited.
3. Serve. The funny thing is...when you help someone in need, you forget what your problems are. Trust me. It might be that you are stressed out from a financial situation...waiting on a paycheck or waiting on a job opportunity to arise. Get out and serve food at a rescue mission or soup kitchen. Donate your time to help an elderly neighbor or someone with special needs. Go love on some people who were affected by the tornadoes. We're not talking about anything drastic here...heck, if someone in your own family is struggling, then go serve them. Sometimes hugging people is serving. 

There are just three of the many things that you can do while you are waiting. Don't let this opportunity
to create a good story for your life to pass you by. Many good stories come from those who had to wait. If you need some more inspiration, take a listen to this song by a great singer/songwriter John Waller: