I used to be scared of hard work. I always thought—what if I can’t finish? What if I won’t have enough energy? What if I fail because it’s too much?
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God knows me so well though. Since I was young God has been helping me break this chain. When I decided to play the violin... when I decided to play soccer... when I thought honors classes looked rewarding... when I moved to a new state for college where I knew no one... when I pursued my passion to teach high school students... when I became a mom. .
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Every season, every milestone, God was there showing me I CAN do this! Sometimes the chains got heavier, and the devil would sneak in and create that nasty feeling of anxiety again, BUT—I persevered and in fact, needed every single one of those experiences to help me face the hard work ahead. To this day I still compare working out to the fourth game in a soccer tournament, in the California heat 🥵—it helps me push through the workout because I know if could get through it then, I can push through it now. .
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Oh, and then I married this guy, who believes SO MUCH in me, that it scared me! He believes my potential is limitless, and while some people might say that’s so sweet, IT SCARED ME, because again I thought...what if I can’t do it? What if I can’t finish? .
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Then he encourages me to do it anyway, and with the STRENGTH and GRACE of God, I do it! I chase that Christmas Tree Farm dream, or business goal, and I remember all the lessons God taught me along the way!
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“Without struggle there is no progress.” Frederick Douglass .
. . “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5