“Obstacles Of Life”
By Zach Wood
Philippians 3:12
(NIV)
“Not that I have
already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on
to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself
yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is
behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal
to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Over the past couple of months, one of my favorite TV shows
has become “American Ninja Warrior”. My
kids have been watching this with me and we really like it! The contestants have such determination as they
enter the obstacle courses. If you’re
not familiar with the show or have only caught glimpses of it, contestants from
all over compete on very difficult obstacles that really test their strength
and endurance as well as mental work.
The more I keep watching this show, the more I notice how
people respond to how they do on the courses and how they react when they
“fail”. There are actually more people
who fall off the course than complete it.
However, it’s amazing to watch people and their passion going through
and doing their best. And, the other
thing that most amazes me is their attitude when they are interviewed after
falling. Most of them always have a
smile on their face and talk about how they enjoyed it and will get it next
time.
It truly inspires me every time I watch this how because of
the determination and attitude of the contestants. I’m inspired how passionate they are for what
they are doing. And, it’s usually not
for themselves. Before they begin the courses,
they always show a “back story” that tells how they came to be on the show and
something about their friends and family and circumstances that brought them to
the show. There is just something so
inspiring about each of the contestants and makes it more than just a show.
When I see their determination, I can’t help but think of
Paul. This is an amazing passage as Paul
talks about pressing on and winning the prize in Christ. He kept his eye on the path and didn’t let
things discourage him from continuing to follow Christ. Paul had a lot of
obstacles for sure, but He did not let that pull him down. He trusted in Christ. From his past, he learned hard things and
learned to put his trust in God and continue through life’s obstacles.
No matter what the past is for us, we can be assured that
God is with us through all we experience.
And, our attitude as we continue through the obstacles of life will
determine a lot. Are we pressing on no
matter what?
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