Personal Take: Through It, Not Out of It.

I have always enjoyed sports. However, I distinctly remember my first year of high school and how difficult it was to be on a team. The workouts seemed unbelievably difficult and having missed summer training due to a move, I felt way behind everyone. My coach saw potential in me and made me practice with the varsity group right off the bat. It was exhausting! I soon became very clever in finding ways to get out of workouts. I tried every excuse in the book: shin splints, backache, dizziness, ‘I think I’m going to pass out,’ dehydration, side aches, etc.  For the most part, I really was able to get out of the hardest workouts.

However, the following year was different. I learned that success was fun and I started to push myself through workouts so that I could have more of it. I even started doing extra at home. By my senior year, I held several records and had won a couple awards. It was amazing how much my high school career, and overall outlook on life, changed when I decided to get through the workouts, not get out of the workouts.

Last week was rough. A family friend passed away suddenly, money was tight, and I was behind in getting ready for classes. To top it off, when I walked in to work on Wednesday, I saw my little brother, once a missionary himself until he returned home early due to Anxiety and Depression and began to lose his testimony, with a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other.

I tried to focus on doing my job that day, but it was rough. My mind just kept playing pack the painful scenes from the past few days. Anxiety made me feel dizzy and sick to my stomach. Depression crept up on me and I could not function. I needed to run away and curl up in my bed and stay there until I got a hold of myself.  I was close to walking up to my boss and begging him to let me go home early because I was too “sick” to keep working. Then, I remembered my high schools sports experience. I decided to get through my shift at work, not out of it. I picked a physical point in the store and told myself that once I walked past that display, I would pull myself into a slightly better attitude. It took work. But, I finished the shift, and it was actually a good one in the end. After work, I went out with friends and had an amazing night. Had I gone home, I would have missed out on all of that.

Sometimes, our entire day depends on the decision we make in one short, critical moment. As hard as it can be, there are great blessings in store when we consciously make an effort to get ourselves through the hard times, not out of them. Life should be about pressing, not escaping.