I thought I was ready for the pain.........



 

I thought I was ready to choose the pain of climbing the Incline of Pikes Peak.  I’m not sure why I had that thought, but I did. I chose to climb a 14r with my family over a year ago and was able to accomplish it and I pretty much have been able to do whatever physical element,  I choose to do, in which my husband has put in front of me.  So duringThanksgiving vacation I thought I would give my husband one of his wishes and do the Incline. 

Ryan was always ready for the pain
and prepared for it daily.

The incline is a mile incline up Pikes Peak that includes over 2500 steps. Ryan used to do this with weights around his ankles (of course!).  It was very slow going for me as my heart just kept screaming “STOP!”  My legs were fine, but my heart kept pumping faster than probably was good for me, and I kept having to rest and argue with myself to keep going.  I was stopped at the marker that said you had 900 more steps to go and Tom could tell my mind and will were really arguing with each other.  He doesn’t usually let me get away with “giving up”.  He has incredible endurance and knows that physical endurance is not one of my strong points.  So he likes to push me.  I hate it when he is does this and we’ve been known to get a little “ouchy” over it. But, if I choose to submit, I am usually grateful afterwards.  But on this day, Tom threw me a life line; he pointed to a path that would take us back down.  The fact that he did this spoke VOLUMES of his love for me.  I didn’t know there was an out, but his love overtook my pain and his desire to push me, and he rescued me.  He and I are probably the only ones that understand the depth of his decision.  I was instantly revived as we made our way down.  As we trotted down the Bar Trail we noted many analogies to our spiritual walks. 

When Tom and I work out at the YMCA, he often irritates me by coming and asking if I am pushing myself.  I’m guessing my lack of sweat causes him to wonder at my level of effort.  I like to tell myself that keeping my muscles and bones moving is “good enough”; why do I need to sweat?  The Incline told me why I needed to sweat.  If I want to be able to do something that requires a strong heart, I need to push my heart rate in preparation; not with one big push, but a gradual strengthening.  So it is with our spiritual hearts.  We must condition our hearts and build that firm foundation so that when “Life” happens, we are equipped to step up into the pain, walk through it, and come out safe on the other side.  I only made it 2/3rds up the Incline.  I didn’t make it to the other side of the pain.  I gave into the pain and gave up.  I realized my husband’s “coaching” was for my good.  I realized my stubbornness to not push myself, dig deeper, and take council, limited my strength and ability to make it to the other side of the pain.  Stubbornness, laziness and pride are things we hold on to so strongly, and yet, they limit the abundance we can experience in life both physically and spiritually. 

During the last seven months I have been taking care of my “spiritual heart”, and this has been necessary.  Because I had a firm foundation going into my pain journey, I have not crumbled and God’s Word has held true in my life.   But, I now need to focus on my “physical heart”.  I am going to purpose to do the Incline in the spring and I WILL, make it to the top!  Imagine all the abundance I will experience with a heart conditioned physically AND spiritually.  That is a life worth pursuing.

For those that were at my talk at Woodmen a couple weeks back you know that I shared that pain reveals the condition or character of our heart.  The character of our heart dictates our response to God’s Word, and our response to God’s Word dictates our experience.   Ryan’s death revealed the character of my heart.  The character of my heart was to rely on God’s Word, completely. What would pain reveal about your heart?  Or, what has it revealed already?

 Here is the link: http://www.woodmenvalley.org/images/images_WVC/01%20Track%2001.mp3

Please join me in pursuing a life of abundance by conditioning our hearts from the inside out.

The moment Tom let me off the
hook.  Adoration in those eyes.