Crystal
Weber 05-16-12
Hurdles…they occur both real in our physical world and
metaphorically in our minds.
There are literal hurdles - I remember running junior high track. I loved the 100 yd, 200 yd, 400 yd, 800 yd,
mile… anything but those hurdles. They
terrified me, looming barriers, mocking me as they block the way to the finish
line and victory. I sometimes would stay after
practice when everyone else had gone home, drag a couple hurdles back onto the
track, and convince myself this was the night I would beat them. But night after night I would go home
frustrated because as I would approach the hurdle I would either stop or run to
the side. I know by now you are probably
chuckling to yourself and you are justified in this because it was probably an
amusing sight to behold. However, I do
want to make a larger point in this. We can beat those hurdles. I remember the day I finally summoned up the
courage and as I sprinted toward the hurdle I did not stray from the path but
instead leaped over the hurdle and kept right on running. And then I leaped over the next one, and so
on. After that I found the hurdles were
quite simple to overcome and even came to be a fun event in track. It often seems the case that once we overcome
something it becomes something easy to us, sometimes so easy we wonder why we
struggled with it in the first place.
Metaphorically, hurdles occur
in our minds every day. Some are quite
small; others are huge and seemingly insurmountable. I want to encourage you to start with the
small ones and check them off the list.
Once you see you can indeed find success in the smaller items you will
gradually gain the confidence you need to master within yourself in order
overcome the larger items. The list is different
for each of you. However, I encourage
you all to take a few minutes and contemplate on what hurdles you are avoiding
and come up with a plan of attack. We
are resilient creatures, we humans, and as a result we are naturally made to
get through things. If you fall on your
hurdle, just brush off the dust and try, try, try, and try again.
So… got hurdles? Sure you do – we all do! The question for you is, are you going to
push through your hurdles or run around them?
I am going to push through them and get to the other side – to the life
I am meant to live. I urge you to do the
same, because you have a wonderful life ahead of you. ~
Psalm 121:1-2
“I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (NIV)
Isaiah
41:10
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” (NLT)
Jeremiah
29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)
