Yes! You are in! I love finding Hope in unlikely places. Like an ultra racer's documentary. Meet Max Joliffe and and Cameron Hanes. Both of these guys have won the Cocodona 250 among other extreme races. The Cocodona is 250 miles. Up mountains and over deserts. So imagine running 10+ marathons with thousands of feet of elevation gain. Imagine the physical pain. Here is what they have to say and perhaps not what you are expecting...
Thank you Max and Cameron. You can watch that entire YouTube at this link..."A Day with Max Jolliffe" by Cameron Hanes...
https://youtu.be/d6jSdsH7GKU?si=06cVU9pQWYIdCBV9
Odds are you are not an ultra racer but I bet some of you have and are running ultra races in life. Like brutal tests. Loss of a loved one. Terminal diseases. Betrayal. Depression. Violation. You are not alone. I testify the strongest people I know have gone thought the hardest things. Thee strongest people did it with the Ultimate Power Source aka God aka the Heavenly Father who also offers up His Son, Savior, Lord and Holy Spirit Guide. The greatest stories of resilience I have ever heard of all those in common. Some of you are living it right now.
When times get tough, you don't get mad at God, you draw near. That is part of the test. Who wouldn't love someone when things are perfect? That isn't a test.
My wife Lori, she's been battling Stage 4 cancer for years now. Do you hear me angry? She didn't run away. She drew closer to the Lord. Just like Max and Cameron. Different pain and yes you can argue self inlficted for some. Yet there is Truth in the saying no pain, no gain. Truth God's best went through the worst. How would you like your son tortured and nailed to a cross?
The comfort zone = the fade zone. So why do we crave the comfort zone? The flesh. Rom 3:23. Counterpoint, yes, we would rest. That is why God gave us the Sabbath. How are you doing with that BTW?
I always tell my Dudes that we are fooling ourselves if we don't get into the Word. So here are some verses to bless you...
2Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1: 2-3, NLT).
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Heb 12: 1-2, NLT
Ending on a prayer note...