I’m not talking about my swimming abilities, but you probably guessed that already! :)
source: pinterest
Are you following the Olympics? We don’t watch much TV, so we haven’t been watching them, but I like to catch the highlights the next day. Dana Vollmer is on the U.S. Swim Team. She grabbed the gold medal for the 100m butterfly and, while she was at it, set a new world record for the event. Impressive, no?
What’s interesting about Dana is that she did not make the team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. That moment in her life was one of her lowest points. She was devastated and could easily have given up on swimming competitively.
But she kept going. And today she’s at the top of her field.
Dana admits that, in 2008, her focus was more on what would happen if she failed. She was also dealing with some health issues that affected her training and performance.
What if Dana had given up after Beijing? What if she had never tried again? She would have missed this moment of victory!
What if that’s you? Is there something in your life that you’ve given up on or are considering quitting even though it’s your passion? What if you are just steps away from receiving the blessing God has for your life? If you stop now, you’ll never know.
Don’t stop trying. Don’t stop praying. Don’t stop planning. Don’t stop dreaming. Don’t stop working. Just don’t stop.
Dana says, “There have been multiple moments in my career where I didn’t know I was going to be able to keep going.” Now, she says, her focus is on how excited she is to be competing. Maybe her greatest blessing did not come in the form of a gold medal or world record. Maybe her greatest blessings occurred during the working days, those grueling days of practice when she wanted to quit – but didn’t. Her perseverance paid off.
Maybe your blessing is not at the end of your journey, but your journey is the blessing? What you learn along the way, the closeness you develop with Christ as you learn to trust Him and depend on His goodness, that might be the truest blessing.
God can use you in amazing ways . . . if you just won’t quit on Him.
♥ Rachel
A lovely image and post. “Don’t give up now” – simple but helpful.