What Are Your Hurdles?

Over the last two weeks, I have been spending a lot of time on the track at Lincoln Christian. While T.J. has been at football camps and basketball camps, I had determined in my mind to use that time to work out. And as always, what seemed to be an awesome idea in my head (typically when I’m laying in bed, comfortable and with a full tummy) became a brutal task for me to overcome. 

I’ve never been a track person. I competed in a relay my freshman year at State. The pressure from it made me sick enough to not want to compete the next year. Or ever again. Ironically, I always LOVED the track practices and work outs, but it was just the competition and the track meets that had me all crazy. A couple of years ago when I took part in a boot camp, we had to go to a track every Wednesday and do our timed mile. I never missed one, but I’m telling you, I came up with every excuse in my head why I didn’t want to go and set my feet on the turf of a track one more time...

So, for me, to even BE on a track is huge. It’s one of many psychological barriers I have had to overcome. Or maybe just psycho....not so logical. It’s weird to me how, over the course of this summer, I have found myself not only working out at the track but actually enjoying it and (hold your breath) looking forward to it. Granted, it’s just me, my cheap headphones and a big jug of water and no one screaming or pushing me, but still...I feel like it’s a hurdle that I’ve gotten over.

With my change in eating and exercise this year (I need to come up with a slogan for it so I don’t have to keep writing it that way), there seems to be so many different hurdles in my own life that I have had to overcome. I don’t want to over-spiritualize something that seems very self-serving, but my change came shortly after hearing a sermon by Bryan Clark about the spirit of God dwelling in the lives of believers. I’ve heard that all my life, but for whatever reason, the veil was lifted from my eyes and it seemed to finally click. And for years and years, I had totally disregarded the privilege that actually is. But along with that, it meant some significant changes in my life.

Some of my biggest hurdles over the course of the last six months for me have been those of overcoming shame, insecurity, judging people and feeling judged. I’ve stopped listening so much to the voices of doubt in my head and I’ve been trying to focus more on the fire in my heart. As I’ve said before, I’m learning to say YES to things I’ve said no to before, and NO to things I’ve said yes to before. I’ve had to rearrange my priorities many times. I’ve had to redirect my attention. And keep my pride in check. And check my motives. And motivate myself to stay with it when many times I’ve been DONE with it! Six months ago, I would’ve told myself I can’t. Today, that’s not the case.

Sometimes the hurdles in our life just seem to big to get over, don’t they? That one nagging thing that keeps eating at you that you want to do or get rid of...what is it and why haven’t you gone after it? For me, it was a much deeper issue that just “hey, you need to get in shape”.  It was a deeper, darker look into WHY and HOW I got OUT of shape and then I had to start at ground zero to make my change. 

One of the things that I had hanging above my door when I was growing up is something that I will remember for ALL of my life. I read it all the time, I memorized it and have tried to make it something to live by. It helps me jump my hurdles even today. It goes like this:

“This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or grow in it’s light and be of service to others. But what I do with today is important because I have exchanged a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. I hope I will not regret the price I paid for it.”

What hurdle...what obstacle that just seems too big...are you going to dominate today? 

GO DO IT!