Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Pushing Through

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (I Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV)

Nearly four years ago I had my knee replaced. It had been a bothersome joint for literally decades. Now I was in the early stages of my rehab. The therapist put me on a stationary bike and told me to push the pedals as far around as I felt comfortable and then do it in reverse. The goal was to do a full rotation. If you can picture the rotation counterclockwise, I could get to one o’clock, but the discomfort really kicked in then. The first day, that is as far as I could go, and into the second day it was similar. But the therapist could sense I was afraid to “push through” past one and onto to Noon, eleven, and ten. The “what if’s” were filling my mind and preventing me from challenging my body to do more.

The therapist encouraged me by saying, “Just let it come; it will be fine.” And so with that, I overcame my hesitancy and pushed the pedal past one o’clock and in less than a second was through to six and on my way around again, each rotation becoming easier and a little less uncomfortable. I had pushed through and, from then on, riding the bike became easier by the day.

In the case of artificial knees, gaining range of motion quickly is the key. People who fail to do this, who cannot push through the pain and discomfort in the early stages of rehab, will face an even worse fate-what is referred to as “manual manipulation.” This is when the patient is unwilling or unable to do the necessary rehab and the joint “freezes” and cannot be bent sufficiently to enable walking normally. In this case, the only way to get it to move properly is to force it. Yeah, it makes me cringe, too, when I think about it.

In life, things come at us—often stressful and difficult things. And we thus are faced with a choice. We can wilt under them and become paralyzed in life, or we can push through them with the help and encouragement of the Lord. In essence, we persevere through the rough patches in order to experience the glorious life to come.

When I finally received my new knee, my goal was to become active again, to do the things I had been unable to do for years—hiking, tennis, and working out. That goal was on my mind when I first entered rehab and was what enabled me to push through the pain in that early stage in order to achieve something much greater, along with the fear of the manual manipulation!

Too often in our lives, we allow the struggles to derail our spiritual goals and desires. We allow fear to get the best of us.  In my work on campus, I have seen a myriad of students whose express a desire to grow and mature in their relationship with Jesus, only to be derailed by the stresses and circumstances of their lives because they find it difficult to push through them. Sadly, many live with the regret of what could have been, and that becomes yet another obstacle they could overcome if only they could push through it and receive the grace the Lord offers to us when we fail. Others have just given up, their lives going awry and the consequences severe.

The obstacles we all encounter in life are a test. The enemy wants us to be overwhelmed and to give up in the face of them. The Lord, on the other hand, wants us to rely on Him, His encouragement and strength, in order to push through and achieve the maturity and fortitude He desires for us. And, ultimately, gaining the prize of a life well lived and the eternal rewards that come with it.

Today, are their obstacles in your path toward living your life in such a way as to gain the prize? Whatever they are, don’t let them overwhelm and defeat you. Instead, with the strength and encouragement of the Lord, push through the unpleasant, even painful, circumstances, to gain what the Lord has for you. While it may be difficult now, you will never regret it.

© Jim Musser 2018

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