"Going through" we don't really want to "go through" anything that is hard or difficult
do we?
As an athlete in long distance running I was widely known in my community for my
strong posture and athletic ability. I was very keen on two main sports, swimming and long distance running.
In swimming I developed a strong movement in all four positions: Front stroke, Butterfly, Back stroke and Breadths stroke.
The ability to swim and to run came easy. Nothing stopped me.
In any sport that I undertook I would push myself harder and harder to reach the next goal, All of this was a challenge to me so I enjoyed pushing myself beyond limits and attaining new and greater goals.
It was very rare that I was beaten or over taken.
It was at this time of my excellence and great achievement I started to experience something quite strange and odd. I began to find it harder and harder to run freely as I used to. I began to feel it a strain to lift up one leg up after another. I was very scared and didn't know what to do. Terror had a grip on me as a firmly buckled straight jacket.
I didn't know what to do, nothing had prepared me for this level of fear. I was now dealing with the fact I was losing the ability to walk. .
If the wind was too strong it would easily blow me over. On one occasion I was about to get onto the bus. In front of me was an elderly lady and unfortunately the driver didn't see me (so he said) and drove off. I had one foot on the bus and the other off. The jerk of the bus knocked me off balance and I was unable to recover so my body dropped straight to the ground I didn't even have body strength to guard my self from the impact so when I fell it looked like a heavy sack of potatoes dropping to the ground.
I was very afraid. I didn't know who to talk to or where to go. My Main concern was what would people think. People had raised such a high standard level of achievement up on my shoulders, expecting me to reach great goals in my life, I too had high expectations of myself so I dredded showing any signs of weakness or frailty. Increasingly I began to find it harder and harder to move as my body got weaker and weaker. Life got very difficult for me. I called out in desperation and fear "God Help me!!" I heard Him reply "Here I am!"
This was ten years ago. I am still using a wheelchair, an electric wheelchair, but since I called upon His name I have learnt that it is ok to go through with my trust in God. I expect to come out the other end reaching my goal. My goal is to run and run the New York Marathon. This is the joy I look to for Jesus himself looked to the joy set before Him scorning the shame. He endured the cross. (Heb 12:2) Fix your eyes on Jesus. Don't accept what you are going through as the final word.
Now I'm not telling you to deny what you are going through just don't deny the victory that Jesus has given to you through His word. With great joy my eyes are set on God's Word that I am healed and I shall leap like calves released from the stall.(Mal 4:2) I am not moved from the hope because I have great joy in what I have set my eyes on. I am not anxious because He has given to me His peace and I look to the promise that He is faithful to perform.
You too have your eyes set on the joy as you endure what you are going through.
Whatever you are going through look to the joy. It is this joy that will carry you through.
God is faithful!
Copyright Success Petrez
