Yesterday, my wife, Missy, and I went for what we had planned to be about a mile and a half hike on a trail at nearby Panther Creek State Park. It was mid afternoon when we pulled in at the trail head so with a little over a mile hike in front of us their was ample amount of daylight left in the day and the beauty of the fall foliage was in full array for us to enjoy. After venturing through the first half of our hike we came upon a fork in the trail with an option to veer off our main trail to reach an outlook point with the distance being little more than a few hundred feet. Call it curiosity, we decided with such a short distance to travel why not detour quickly and gain an opportunity to see the lake and the surrounding areas from a "birds eye view". As we made our way along the detour we traversed what we thought would have been around 400 feet which was the distance on the trail marker and we were no where near anything that would resemble an outlook destination. We began a back and forth scaling of the peak that lie in front of us each time thinking that the next turn back would signify our ultimate goal. At this point the westward sun was beginning it's dissent and we were beginning to worry a little about how much daylight we still had left and the topic of turning back entered our conversation. At the very moment both Missy and I wanted to say let's turn back, the two of us agreed that we would venture on just a little further. We finally reached a plateau and it was obvious that our goal was within site just a few hundred feet ahead. Somewhat more fatigued than originally planned, and definitely more time invested than we had allowed for the hike we reached "Lookout Point". And may I say, "WOW" what a view we were rewarded with by not giving up on reaching our detour's destination. The beauty of God's creation was on full display and my binoculars enabled me to view so many wonderful sites. I knew our journey had been worth it all. After enjoying the view and recouping our energy we safely made our return trek down the mountainside and returned to our vehicle with a more challenging three mile hike completed and a feeling of accomplishment stored inside our hearts and minds. It was a good day!
In life we face those same uphill challenges, sometimes what feels like daily and for others it is more like one major obstacle that just will not move on out of your path in life. At times the challenge begins to feel like it is too much and we cannot see what appears to be an end in sight. Your challenge may be physical in nature such as a medical condition, disease, or other health related matter, or it might be a marital issue, financial problem, job or school related matter, or possibly a battle with something internal such as addiction or depression. Whatever it is you are facing it is imperative that you do not give up in working towards surmounting the obstacle in front of you.
I challenge you to never give up and never quit in life. Just as Edison made thousands of what most would have labelled failures in his quest of inventing a light bulb but never quit, you too must not look at your failed attempts as failures but instead as part of the journey to your success. You must adopt the mindset that anything you are facing or going through is all part of the training you are intended to do in life for who you are supposed to be in life. Think about it as practice and preparation for game day.
During practice many times it hurts to the point of wanting to quit. The level of intensity placed on the athlete in practice enables him or her to withstand the pressure of the actual event. Remember "no pain, no gain", that's what I'm talking about! At just the precise moment when we feel like we just can't go on, we turn the corner and we have finally reached our goal. A proverb comes to mind here, "It is always darkest just before the dawn". When you are tempted to give up, when life is dark (possibly the darkest you can imagine) don't ever give up. Instead look up and see your adversity through the eyes of God. His plan for your life is so much more than we can see and the trail you are traveling is all part of the preparation for what you are ultimately supposed to be in life. Don't ever give up, don't ever quit, and always give your best!
Remember Galatians 6:9 "So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." NLT
Go climb that mountain one more time, ten more times, ten thousand more times if necessary, but always keep in mind, you are just around the bend of reaching your destination! Just as I tell my athletes GO EXTREME or go home!
Coach Carter
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