The Hill...

"The Benefit of Limitations (a/k/a The Hill):

In my new neighborhood, there is a hill.

It's a fairly long hill, with a gentle, ever-increasing slope

and it gets pretty steep at the top.

It's one of millions up here in the mountainous terrain of Eastern, Pennsylvania

and it's certainly not one of the most awe-inspiring or challenging.

But, from the moment I saw it, I knew that it was going to be my hill.

When we first arrived here,

 I needed to get back in shape and regain

some of my lost fitness.

My first morning in the new house,

I laced up my sneakers,

walked out my front door,

took a short five minute walk to where the hill stands

and gazed up at it.

Instantly, I knew.

No way was I going to be able to make it up that hill.

My legs knew it.

My lungs knew it.

I knew it.

And, as I stood there staring up at the uppermost portion

of its defiant slope, the hill seemed to know it too.

What I understood, however,

was that I could take 20 steps up the hill.

That I could handle.

That I could manage.

And that is what I proceeded to do,

counting each step from 1 through 20 with military precision.

Every single day.

That's the thing about me and challenges.

I never make them very hard and I never mentally push myself past my limits.

It's so different than the sort of grand, competitive challenges

I see taking place here online and on YouTube channels devoted

to weight loss and fitness.

Whereas some people say, "I'm going to lose 150 pounds and climb up Mt. Everest,"

I say to myself, "This week, I'm going to lose 6 ounces

and take 20 steps up that hill every morning."

I don't know why I think like this and,

honestly, it may not be a good thing in some people's eyes.

Some may say that my approach is, by nature, stifling and self-limiting.

How can I know that I won't make it up that hill unless I push myself

beyond what I believe are my limits and REALLY TRY?

Perhaps they have a point, but it just

doesn't seem to be my way.

All I know is that I like to set myself small,

doable goals that I know I can achieve.

I don't like to fail or to feel like I am failing,

so I make sure to never go beyond my limits (perceived or real)

but to keep plugging away at them in a consistent steady way.

Self-limiting? Perhaps. Unremarkable? Certainly.

Here's the thing. I'm a middle-of-the-road type person and

I think there has to be a place for people like me in this world, too.

We all swoon over incredible pictures of weight loss and transformation.

We are all awed and inspired by the stories of people who overcome

enormous challenges in order to race in triathlons and

perform all other manner of notable feats of triumph and daring.

But, what about people like me?

What about someone who lost an unremarkable amount of weight

(38 pounds), has kept it off, makes sure to get her daily exercise,

fixes plain old, non-gourmet veggie meals and sets her sights on an ordinary hill

every single morning?

Isn't there glory in the ordinary accomplishment

of finding a way to live a healthy life

in this crazy, mixed-up world of ours?

Let me tell you something.

That hill is my slave these days.

Where once it loomed large and unconquerable in my eyes,

every morning now I take it like it's a mere anthill beneath my feet.

Some mornings, I find that I have energy to spare and will wind my way

down the hill, turn around, and barrel up it yet again for good measure.

I'm proud of this small achievement and perhaps,

as time goes on, I will find other challenges to face and other hills to climb.

But, if it never comes to that and all I do from here on in is take that hill every morning,

I feel that I can be satisfied with this.

By staying within modest realistic limits,

I succeeded at something that didn't seem possible at first.

I would rather succeed at the small things than set my sights so high

that I consistently fail at the spectacular things.

There are those of us that don't need to shoot for the stars,

but would prefer to stay here on solid ground,

taking pride in every single bite of healthy food, every miniscule step up that humble hill,

every day of finding peace within the limits of what we know we can achieve.

Love, Lori"

I saw this on a friends' group on Facebook today and thought how many life applications we could make from this. Of course, I am in no way insinuating that we should not be 'all in' with Jesus Christ, but here's something to think about (and something I've counseled many youth on over the years):

You look ahead and see all the things in your life that you wish were better (character traits that are less than righteous, bad habits, things you lack) and it looks daunting. It looks like such a mountain to climb. It looks impossible.

Let me tell you something. Take heart. You have done the best thing you ever could have chosen to do: you decided to follow Jesus. You see, because you chose that, now you have Him to live His life thru you. All you need to do each day is to get out of your bed with a heart committed to knowing Him and making Him known. Each day is like walking up that hill. Maybe it's 20 steps, maybe it's 1000, or maybe it's only 2 steps you climb today, but the point is that each day is part of the climb. There is no 'attaining' until at last He calls us Home. So let's not be thinking that one day we will finish and be able to stop climbing while we are on earth. As long as we live here, there is a climb to make, a battle to fight.

BUT...we have the power of heaven on our side.
Before Christ, there is no power to even live one day righteously.
After we choose Him, there is all the power of His resurrection to
live that faithful life He calls us to.

Keep climbing.
Each step brings us farther from the lowlands of our flesh,
and farther into the wonderful meadows of life in Jesus,
our wonderful Guide.

Love and blessings,

Marcia

PS

Another thing to take away from this

'earthly' article on health and fitness is

"DON'T COMPARE yourself to others..."

If you are in Christ, then follow Him.

Sure, others can and should inspire us

to move on up the hill,

but please don't let yourself compare

yourself to others.

It is a terrible habit that will bring

you into bondage to yourself and

will hinder your walk with the Lord.



PSS
Still another thing we can take away from this:
please remember grace!
Just as we are not to compare ourselves
among ourselves,
we should also  have grace with
those who are not moving
as fast as we think they should,
or who are not seeming to grasp
what we think they should be by now.
Just love them,
and keep inspiring them,
and keep moving onward
in your own walk.
God has them covered.
Just like He has you covered.
He is able to move them along,
just like He is able to move you.
Let's let Him do His job,
while we do ours!