Finish or Bust

3,000 meter steeplechase is one of the most physically demanding events one can do on a track. It involves seven laps around the track. Spread around the track are four dry hurdles and one hurdle with water on the far side. By the end of the race each runner has jumped 28 dry hurdles, seven water traps, and ran a little under two miles. This sport originated in the British Isles where runners would run from steeple to steeple. While running from steeple to steeple the runner would have to jump obstacles such as rock walls. Slowly this race evolved from 3,200 (2 miles) meters to 3,000 meters and from rough terrain to flat. The race was then added to the Olympics. This race is one of the most grueling races because of the distance, pace, and obstacles one must jump while going around the track.

At the beginning of such a hard race the task may seem daunting. As one slowly completes jumps after jump and lap after lap their muscles get tired and fatigued. Often the athlete have to just focus on clearing the next hurdle or running the next 100 meters.

Our life is much like a steeplechase. There are many hurdles to jump. There are times in the races when we are relaxed and on a straight away. There are times when we are striving to clear a hurdle. There are times a hurdle seems too big for one to jump. There are times the race ahead seems to daunting to conquer. Let us remember Christ has run the race before us. He knows it perfectly, and as our loving coach He will not lead us astray if we listen to His tender voice.

As we finish it will be well worth the tears, sweat, and strength it took to finish the race.  For we have been changed into a champion in the process.

The Dream

Growing up I dreamed, slept, ate, and bled running. The more the merrier. I created schedules and entered races. I ran track and cross country.

It was my senior year in high school. Region was a week away and then state was two weeks after that. I had just achieved my fasting time. I was excited and pumped for the upcoming race. After school one day we headed out on our daily afternoon run. We headed towards a park behind the high school. I felt great! Today was going to be awesome. The concrete road we were on quickly turned into a dirt path about the same width. The trail slowly slimmed down to produce a single file line of runners. It disappeared into a group of trees on the side of a hill and turned immediately right and then down. As I started running down the hill I found myself alone with no one in sight in front of me or behind me. As I got closer to the bottom of the hill, I picked up speed. I got going faster and faster. At the bottom of the hill I planted my right foot on what I thought was the ground. The second I put all of my weight on that foot the rock, not ground which my foot was resting on, moved and my ankle with it. I felt a tear and pop. I staggered and slowed down. One of my teammates came running up behind me to see me in pain on the side of the trail. He lifted and carried me the mile back to the school. As I took off my shoe my ankle swelled up immediately. Come to find out later my tendons had been damaged and my tibia had shifted down my leg and foot. My dreams of running in Region and State disappeared.

In the following months while I recovered, I thought a lot about what had happened. I experienced frustration as I was limited from certain activities as well as missed out in playing soccer my senior year. I wondered why did this happen? Was this fare? Why now? These are question many of us have asked. As I have gone through this experience and many others, I have been blessed and guided to realize by the spirit that it is not a "bad" thing to go through trials. Good and bad people go through trials. A certain trying experience is not a punishment at all. Often it is a blessing and a complement from our Heavenly Father.

In the Book of John, Christ's apostles ask Christ a question along the lines of, "Is a trial a punishment for sinning?" Here is the story. "And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man , or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (John 9:1-3)

The man was not cursed with blindness because someone had transgressed. The very opportunity of having an experience which tests and try’s us is what we need to change our very being, grow and become better individuals, and ultimately become like our Heavenly Father and Savior. It is painful but necessary to burn away the impurities.

Let us be grateful for those experiences which allow God's greatest work being the Atonement manifests itself in us and by so doing change us.

 

Living on the edge

There was once a young man who went cliff jumping with all of his friends.  As the day wore on the boys got higher and higher with each jump.  As the boys got higher they starting thinking, "I could get hurt!”, but the fear of disappointing the others kept them jumping.  One of the boys climbed up past the rest of them to make the highest jump of the day.  He jumped off but when he landed everyone could hear the smack of skin against the water.  The young man had landed sideways as he hit the water breaking a rib.  Some of the boys who were already at the bottom jumped into the water dragging their friend out. 

These boys new deep down inside if they did not stop that one of them was going to eventually get hurt.  Why did they keep going? 

Fear of disappointing  is something which has tied down many people from reaching their dreams and having experiences, but “perfect love casteth out fear."(1 john 4:18).  How does one obtain this love? 

The prophet Moroni answered this question in the Book of Mormon by saying, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.” (Moroni 7:48)

The first step is prayer.  Not just talking but pleading with all the energy of our souls.  The gift of love will be blessed upon all those who pray and are true followers of Jesus Christ.  Obedience is what characterizes a true follower of Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that we plead for love, and then have faith in Jesus Christ to be obedient.

Christ lives and loves us.