Mike and I recently had dinner with a married couple who have been friends of ours for many years. The wife had just celebrated her five-year anniversary of being free from cancer, which, as most of you know, is a huge milestone in a person’s cancer recovery story. During that discussion, we learned more details about the tremendous physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual challenges the couple battled through since the original diagnosis. They shared with us the excruciating pain, the torments from the treatments, the waiting, and the second-guessing that was part of their journey, as well as the positivity, the teamwork, the spiritual growth and the discipline that got them through it. Our friend went on to tell us how she has changed her life in order to maintain her health; those changes include intermittent fasting (eating only four hours each day), avoiding most sugars and exercising daily.
She recounted a story about when her daughter, a teenager at the time, approached her shortly after the diagnosis and asked, “What’s going to happen?” She responded, “We are going to beat this thing. That’s what’s going to happen”. She then shared with us that, at the time, she really had no (expletive) idea what was going to happen, but she knew she needed to reassure and insulate her daughter as much as possible at that moment.
We left that dinner awed by their collective mental fortitude and strength and the grace with which they climbed that mountain. They truly are heroes for their daughter and for all of us who had the privilege of sharing their journey. Not heroes in the ‘burning building’ sense or the ‘jump on the grenade’ sense, but in a way that demands extraordinary perseverance and self-sacrifice every day. Their daughter learned by example what the human person is capable of if he or she is committed and willing to make hard choices even when – especially when – it doesn’t feel good.
“Sure,” you say, “but she had cancer. Making those hard choices would be much easier if you were trying to save your own life.” Unfortunately, that logic does not hold. Imagine yourself terrified, confused, exhausted and in pain, and then choosing to make difficult lifestyle changes that make your life even less physically pleasant and enjoyable. Our friend tells us that she feels better than she ever has, and she is alive with positivity and a passion to help others change their lives.
Do you have the fortitude to fast 20 hours per day? Could you train for and complete a marathon six months from now? If you are carrying extra weight, is losing 50 pounds by the 5th of May a possibility? The answer, if you are in reasonably good health, is most likely less. The human person is designed to accomplish amazing things.
With each passing generation and each new technological advancement, we as a society are becoming softer. The problem is that the human mind and the human body are not designed to live a life of excess and sloth. I jokingly tell Mike that I would have been a lousy pioneer woman. I have also told him that I could never have raised ten kids. But I know that is not really true. Would those situations have been difficult and challenging? Definitely, yes, but I realize that I am capable well beyond my self-imposed limitations.
What are you going to accomplish in 2024? Do you need to improve your health? Do you need to find a career that utilizes your passions and your talents? Is it time to once and for all put that life-sucking bad habit behind you (alcohol, smoking, pornography, gambling, etc.)? Is it finally time to take control of your finances and make the changes needed to kill that dragon? Do you need to end an unhealthy relationship or mend one that has been unhealthy for too long?
We are not talking about a New Year’s resolution here. This is not a question of denying our humanity and overcoming our human desires / weaknesses. This is a matter of setting your mind right, so that you can become fully human and fully alive. Our negative thoughts, self-doubt and our low expectations are the only barriers preventing us from accomplishing our goals.
Is the devil occupying your mind? Fight hard to take back that space. Raise the bar for yourself way beyond anything you thought possible. Set a big goal, one worthy of your potential, then create an aggressive plan to reach that goal. Be committed and resolute in carrying out that plan. When the journey gets tough, and you know that it will, dismiss any thoughts that tempt you away from that goal or seed doubt in your mind. Turn to God for help if you are able. Control your thoughts, and your actions will follow.
Your kids / grandkids are watching you. What are they seeing that you are not proud of? Make the change. Set your mind right, and you can accomplish whatever you are called to do. Then, by example, you will be a hero to your family and to everyone around you. No more excuses. Be a hero.