Challenge!
We all have had something in life that we have had to prepare for that has been a challenge. Maybe you had a test a school that you had to prepare for. If you are athletic maybe you had to prepare for a race or sports event. There are also things that you may have to prepare for at work, whether a report or solving some problem. Every day no matter where we are and what we do we have challenges that we have to prepare for.
As I write my son is preparing for the biggest challenge of his life. It is something that he has never done or faced before. He is planning to hike a local mountain the same elevation of Mt. Everest from sea level to the top, which is 29,029 feet. How can a person really prepare for such an event? And why would someone do something so crazy?
It may seem crazy but for my son, it is remembering. After losing a friend to suicide and then his uncle he wanted to do something to help raise awareness to mental health needs. And to bring awareness to the fact that there are places available for people to go for help. Depression and suicide are on the rise everywhere you turn. And it happens to those that you least expect. And with this challenge he wants you to help by donating to a local crisis center that helps people who are dealing with mental health issues that could lead to suicide.
Preparing
How do you exactly prepare for such an event? There is a lot of physical, mental, and emotional preparation. You have to be eating healthy. And figure out how to sustain your body through the physical push that you put your body through to do such an event.
My son has been physically training every chance that he gets, hiking, running, climbing, etc. And making a list of those things that he should be eating or drinking during that time. He needs to have things that are high calorie but also healthy. You can get high-calorie items that are so unhealthy that it defeats the purpose. Many do it but in the long run, what it does to their health brings disaster later.
Another challenge
There is another kind of challenge that came to my mind as we were preparing for this physical challenge. This challenge is of a spiritual nature. The Christian walk is a challenge. When a person decides to become a Christian there are things you need to do to be able to meet the challenges. And to accomplish the goal, heaven. Just like we had to know the best food for my son to eat to keep his strength up to endure, we need to keep ourselves fed spiritually. We need strength each day to endure the testing and trials that may come our way. We need fuel to keep up our strength. And it needs to be the right kind of fuel.
Preparing
When you are doing something that is challenging physically fueling with the correct things can help you endure and come out successful. But if you don’t it can be disastrous. The same is true of our Christian walk. Our refueling needs to be something that truly strengthens us in our spiritual walk. Reading God’s Word and prayer are the key components. There may be other things that we think could be good to strengthen us but in the long run, it is destroying. Just like in the physical world you need to be intentional about what you use for fuel so in the spiritual.
Dear Father,
It can be so easy to get distracted and start fueling with things that are detrimental. Keep prompting our hearts to stay connected with You through Your Word and prayer.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Remember to keep refueling! And make sure it is of a nature that will strengthen you spiritually and not drag you down.
Love you all.
What challenges have you had spiritually or physically? What did you do to refuel?