My youngest son had a tough start to his football season this year. The first practice was much harder than he expected it to be. For a moment.. o.k., maybe a little more than a moment… he was ready to quit football completely. Sometimes in all of our lives, the pain, frustration, and disappointments have us ready to quit before we achieve our goals.
I have been fortunate enough to do a little bit of traveling. I have been to some great places. Unfortunately, there are several I have not seen. A few weeks ago, we decided to go hiking in the Smokey Mountains. There is one spot that is the highest point in Tennessee and, on a clear day, you can see seven states from that vantage point. We saw one. It was so foggy that we could only see about 50 feet. When I was younger, we stopped by Mount Rushmore on one of our family trips. On the observation deck at the visitors center, there was much discussion as to which direction we thought the mountain was because the fog was so thick, we could barely see past the deck. I’ve had similar experiences at the Eiffel Tower in Paris and other adventures I’ve taken.
As we stood on the observation deck at Mount Rushmore and on top of Clingmans Dome in Tennessee, looking into the thick fog, we could not see a thing. Yet the very thing we were wanting to see was just beyond the fog, we just couldn’t see it. When we get in the middle of the fog, it is easy to lose our vision. We get caught up in the frustration, the pain, and the noise of the now, that we forget what we are here for. Many of us stop just before we get that breakthrough, just before the fog clears
The biggest challenge that I have, is keeping the vision in front of me. I have lots of ideas and things that I want to do, but unless I keep my focus on what my purpose and goal is, I bounce from project to project and get caught in the fog. I end up with several half finished projects. On way to help get through the fog is to find pictures or images of your goal and put them where you see them every day. Constantly remind yourself of what you are trying to accomplish. That image will serve as a guide so when the fog starts to get too thick, you can still see the goal.
The hard work and pain is part of the process. The fog challenges our faith. The goal is what will drive you to push through. Focus on the goal, not the fog.
Curtis
