High school athletics carnivals always brought fear and trepidation to my unathletic body. This day in 2000 was no exception to the rule. What was different was that I was in year 12 and it was my last chance to gain victory over the tormenting landscape of athletic challenges. I have never been known for my speed and foot-springs -for they too were afraid of their potential or lack of, thus never showed themselves. But maybe, miraculously, they would show themselves this day.
Then the moment came... the sound that is worse than someone burping in your ear - the megaphone roaring out these words: "15year girls - High Jump". There I found myself face to face with that annoyingly intimidating bar which smirked at me as if it could see right through my determined face. But this was my moment. I was not going to back down. I was going to beat that bar. Suddenly my foot-springs awakened with anticipation jolting my speed to rev and I was away. Stride. Stride. Stride. Leap. And Beat that Bar I DID - with my butt! not once, but all 3 times!! Now if that's not defeating something I don't know what is cause I am sure that bar had to be in some kind of pain - I know I was and my black butt was the symbol of that pain for like a week, haha :) Yep, that's a day I won't forget. I actually like that memory. Though it was an embarrassing [and painful] moment - especially cause I was competing against girls in a grade lower than me - I am glad I kept trying.
This memory popped [or should I say lept] into my mind this morning when I was thinking about how ambitious I can be - perhaps too ambitious. For example, I have set myself the challenge of reading all of Genesis to Joshua in 1.5weeks. I am doing a series on Joshua with the kids at church so I wanted to really know the book in it's context and have the story in my head. In making that goal I decided I may as well read the whole Bible as quickly as I can so that I will be more equipped to learn, prepare and pass on it's riches to younger people. I am keen to look at how God has wired us humans - how we learn and grow - things like Emotional Intelligence [EQ] and how God informs, equips and directs us in that so we can grow in relationship with Him, ourselves and each other, and become more Christ-like... in short: Live the Change. So reading the whole Bible will help me with this too.Yep I have some pretty ambitious dreams and plans for this year. I am sure I won't reach them all, but I really want to try.
Though I aim high and most of the time miss the bar, I end up jumping higher than I would have otherwise. What keeps me jumping is the fact that God's Grace covers the gap between me and the bar that I can't clear. Yep I still have moments where failure intimidates me. But I have come to discover that every time I fail God makes a way for that failure to become an agent for growth and I find that it was better for me to fail or not quite reach the mark. Like me landing on the bar, it can be painful though - I won't gloss over that. The growth that comes from it is far more satisfying though, and so the pain fades.
However high the bar seems to be set for you right now, let your fear or determination lead you to 'reach' it with the only one who can completely 'clear' it - Jesus.
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