I decided to start training for a marathon during the most difficult time of my life when my husband left our marriage and was left devastated. You can only begin to imagine everything that goes along with that, which I would never wish upon anyone. But I had a choice. I had a choice for "life" or "fear." Life, having peace, joy, freedom and fulfillment, or fear: full of bondage, defeat, regret and disappointment. I chose LIFE and overcame my fears rather than the fears overcoming me and now I am a bigger, better, stronger person for it. I like to use the illustration of the eagle. The eagle is a symbol of freedom. The eagle can fly higher and see farther than any other bird. An eagle can see a storm coming from miles away and what it does is it flies over, higher and above the storm, watching the storm go by until it fades away. I have fears, you have fears, we all have fears but it's how we react to those fears and circumstance is what really matters and what makes us who we are. For all of you who are reading this, YOU are WORTH IT!! You are worth fighting for your freedom, so get out there and fight!
Life is hard, but would you rather live a life of wondering what it could've been, or rather, dealing with life when it arises, like the eagle that soars high, and reaching your fulfillment? Can you add one cubit to your stature by worrying? In my case I can't afford to worry b/c I'm only 4'10", Japanese and I’ll only be shrinking at this point. Ha ha. I just had to throw that joke in there. Moving on, the answer is a definitive "No!" It just makes it worse. I'm not saying it's easy. It's not easy but we can make life easier by looking at the solution, not the problem, not the fears, the doubts, not giving in to all the thoughts running through your head.
Don't be afraid to dream your dreams. Better yet, don't be afraid to live your dreams. Because I faced my fears during this time of my life (and I still continue to face my fears because, let's face it, that's life), I am now living my dream, 2 years later after my loss, having qualified for the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trails, being ranked amongst the top marathon athletes in America, and receiving the promises of life, which would have never happened had I not faced all my fears and all the other curve balls in life. Now, I am happier, full of joy, peace and have more freedom than I ever have before, doing what I love and was born to do: To run for my Lord and Savior. I'm so glad and thankful that God gave me the gift of running. Other than God of course, I used running to be my solution and faced those fears of mine, and have been running my race and race of life with endurance. The marathon is such a great analogy for this. The marathon can be very long and very hard but it's not for the swift, nor for the strong, but who can run the farthest when things get hard and don’t go the way you planned it or trained for it. That’s why it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
I have often heard the acronym for fear is "false evidence appearing real." The only power that fear has is the power you allow it to have. Life is way too short to be worrying all the time. I just turned 30 as of April 2011 and I refuse to entertain the thought that "I should be somewhere else in my life at age 30." I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my life. Who cares if I'm not living the American dream of owning a home, a nice car, being a wife and mother, and having the money-making job! Why, because I am living my dream, Liana Bernard's dream and that makes me happy. I’m not saying anything is wrong with all these things if this is who you are, but I’m saying this is my dream, and am not being afraid of being different and being who I am and was created as and for. I know I want some of those things I’ve just listed off but in time it will come. I am perfectly content and blessed even if I am living in a trailer that I may fulfill my dreams of making the Olympics someday. Even if I don’t make it, at least I can know I put my best strides forward in hopes of getting there instead of letting fear get the best of me. That and I know the journey along the way has all been worth it and will continue to be worth it. Life is about the journey, not the destination!
One thing I'd like to leave you with: FAITH is the opposite of fear. Count it all joy when you fall into trails of many kinds, knowing that the testing of your FAITH produces perseverance. But let perseverance finish its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Now the question is what are your fears and what are you doing to overcome them, or are you?
Thank you for reading my blog. I pray I can be a blessing to you as you are to me.
Sincerely,
Liana Bernard
It is a lofty goal indeed, with much wisdom, to have a strong desire to overcome in the face of fear! The Kingdom of God suffers violence, but the strong take it back by force! You are more than a conqueror, you are an overcomer, and you have already succeeded... you have been given abundant life and you are walking in that abundance one step at a time, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might Liana! I am so proud of you, and encouraged and blessed by your life!
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