Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars
- Les Brown
"Man imposes his own limitations, don't set any"
-Anthony Bailey
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV)
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)
One of the most powerful phrases in the English language is “I can’t!” That little phrase has the power to immobilize. “I can’t” will keep you from learning new things or facing new challenges. “I can’t” will keep you tightly closed up in an increasingly smaller and smaller world. “I can’t” shuts doors, bolts windows and pulls down the shades.
Until the early 1950s running a sub-four minute mile was thought impossible. This was true until May 6, 1954. On that day at the Iffley Road track in Oxford, England, a 25-year old English medical student did the impossible. He crossed the finish line with a time of 3 minutes 59.4 seconds before a crowd of 3,000. His name was Roger Bannister. Just 46 days later Australian John Landy broke Bannister’s record with a time of 3 minutes 57.9 seconds. That was not the end of the story. On August 7, 1954, at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, B.C., Bannister and Landy faced off in a head to head race. They were the only two running. Landy held the lead through 3 ¾ laps. At the final turn Landy looked over his left shoulder and Bannister blew by him on his right. Bannister crossed the finish line in 3 minutes 58.8 seconds with Landy 0.8 seconds behind. In just three months the seemingly impossible was accomplished four times by these two men.
Since that amazing breakthrough in 1954 the record for the mile has been broken 17 times. The current world record for the mile stands at 34:43.13, held by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco.
In the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing the world witnessed another amazing example of breaking free of the power of “I can’t”. It took place in the marathon, the ultimate test of running endurance. The race took place on a very hot August day. The TV commentators remarked before the race that they felt there would be a slower pace due to the extreme heat. When the gun went off a small group of men quickly took the lead. They set a grueling pace for the conditions. The commentators remarked that they would never be able to maintain that pace. As each mile ticked by everyone waited for the lead runners to fade, but they keep their pace. At mile 20 or so the lead group was down to five or six runners. It became evident that they were at a record setting pace. There was growing excitement in the voices of the commentators who still expected the runners to fade. As they neared the stadium the lead runners didn’t fade, they increased their pace. Three men were neck and neck during the last mile. The camera switched to inside of the stadium. A lone runner broke onto the track to the cheers of the crowd, then another and another. Samuel Kamau Wanjiru of Kenya crossed the finish line first with a time of 2 hours, 6 minutes and 32 seconds, breaking the old Olympic record by 3 minutes. He was followed closely by Jaouad Gharib of Morocco with a time of 2:07:16, also breaking the old record. But the drama of the race was not over. The third runner Deriba Merga of Ethiopia entered the track with just one lap to go. Everyone was cheering him on because they could see that he was spent. Then out of the shadow of the tunnel a fourth runner emerged. It was Tsegay Kebede of Ethiopia. He began to push hard and before Deriba could reach the finish line Tsegay passed him and grabbed the Bronze medal. The difference in their times was 21 seconds. Everyone said that the record could not be broken on that day. Everyone said those top runners could never maintain their pace for the whole race. Somebody forgot to tell those courageous runners who pushed harder than anyone thought possible to do what everyone thought could not be done.
What are you not doing because you have been convinced you can’t? What would you do if you knew you could? In life and faith we need to resist the temptation to give in to “I can’t”. When I was young, whenever I would say I can’t my Aunt Mil would respond with, “I can’t means I won’t.” I never liked that response, but she was right. When I decide that I can’t do something I won’t even try.
The Apostle Paul faced many challenges in his life. He faced opposition almost everywhere he went. He was kicked out of towns, thrown in jail, stoned, beaten and other unpleasant things. He could have said, God I just can’t do this anymore. But that was not his response. Instead Paul continued to say I can.
Paul learned that even when he was weak from a human stand point he could be strong in Christ. God gave him the ability to rise above his circumstances. He didn’t just make the best of a bad situation. He sought God’s best in every situation.
When we are in the middle of a situation we lose our perspective. The circumstance before us looms so large that we can’t see anything else. When everything is going well we become complacent in our faith. We start to put our faith in our own ability or in our resources. Our goal becomes maintaining our comfortable life. If something happens that shatters our comfortable life we panic. We start complaining and may even feel sorry for ourselves. If the situation persists we can descend into despair. This leads to a sense of hopelessness and helplessness.
Jim Collins in his book Good to Great tells the story of Admiral Jim Stockdale. Admiral Stockdale was a POW during the Vietnam War. He was imprisoned in the Hanoi Hilton for eight years. During his years of imprisonment he faced cruel treatment at the hands of his captors. He was tortured 20 times. Yet he survived. When asked how he did it this was his response. “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” (Good to Greast page 83) Collins called this the Stockdale Principle. Long before Admiral Stockdale the Apostle Paul lived out the Stockdale Principle.
Paul knew how to view his current situation. Paul assured his audience that he had been on both sides of the equation. He had tasted prosperity and poverty. What made Paul different was that he was able to step away from these situations and gain a proper perspective. Paul understood that the circumstances of life didn’t have to define him. He did have the ability to rise above those circumstances.
Paul’s focus was not on what he had or didn’t have. He focused on finding contentment in every situation. How could he do that? He often found himself in overwhelming situations that would shake the resolve of even the strongest person. Paul looked beyond the circumstance to Christ. Paul was not denying his reality. In fact Paul was the consummate realist. He knew that he could face every situation because he was secure in Christ. He was willing to trust Christ to empower him to handle whatever might come his way. What allowed him to have this resolve was his conviction that his life was wrapped up in the resurrection power of Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NIV) Paul knew that whatever happened to him in life he would ultimately come out the winner. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21 (NIV)
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