Every Second Counts

Time. Everyday we live our lives around a clock, trying to make the most of every second. In one second, four babies are born. In one minute, six million cells in your body will have a chemical reaction. In one day, your heart will beat about 100,000 times. That's unbelievable! The fact that  God made all of this possible for us, makes it all the more! God has given us a lifetime. We aren't supposed to just say "Alright God, thanks! That's cool." We have to make the most of our time every single day. We are The Lord's hands on earth. Every second counts. Coaches tell their runners that during every race. "Every second counts Billy! Run fast!!" Cross country and track are both against the clock. You race to see who has the fastest time. The most guts to dig down and find that next gear. It's hard to do sometimes, however this separates the good from the great.  

Story Time!!! 
During one of my races recently, I fell (more like wiped out) and actually ended up spraining my ankle. I was in fourth place at the time and was looking to throw in a surge to try to catch the next girl. There was about 600 meters to go so I knew I needed to start picking up the pace if I wanted to catch her. I don't know what happen after that, but the next thing I knew, I was sliding on the ground like a plane who's landing gear did not function. Katie, my sister, (who was the only one to see me during this incident) said I looked as though I suddenly had the desperation to be Superman and tried to fly. Needless to say, I can't fly! At this point in time I had two options, 1. Stay on the ground and just give up, or 2. Get back up and finish. I chose option two because I wouldn't be able to stand myself if I gave up and because I had a sudden fear of being ran over and spiked by the other runners. Glory to the Lord our God, I managed to finish the race in fourth! The best part was when I crossed the finish line! The girl who won, was congratulating the other runners, came up to me after I finished. She gave the usual "Hey good job today" however she then asked "Did you fall?" During this time I was trying to figure out how she would know because she was a good distance ahead. Then she pointed to my shorts and said "You might want to take the stick out of your shorts, it kinda gave it away!" So yes, I did run with a stick in my shorts, and no I did not realize it. But hey, now I have a good story to tell!

"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” 

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

We have to remember to make the most of our time on earth. Of course I could have started running and just not cared what place I got, but what's the point? Make every second count! You have to learn to use your time wisely and make the most of every situation. Everybody has bad days and good days. We have all been there. Be the optimist in your life! Nobody wants to be around a pessimist anyhow! God gave us life. There is no greater gift in all the world! Each and every single one of us have a talent of some kind. But in order to be great, we have to push ourselves. Glory will not come to the weak, rather it comes to those who are strong and persevere when times get hard.  

"When You've been fighting for it all your life
You've been struggling to make things right
That’s how a superhero learns to fly
Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power"
-Superheroes, by The Script

Of course the road won't always be smooth, and that is why we have God. He is always there for us. "For the Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior." Psalm 18:2. God wants us to come to Him during the good and the bad. Our time on earth is limited so we have to make the most of it while we can. "Every day, every hour" NEVER CEASE THE FIGHT. It won't hurt any more than it does now. Keep pushing yourself because only good can come if you know that you are trying your best! Besides what's to lose if you don't? No matter what you may doing. Make it count. Give everything your best shot and God will help with the rest. 

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity [make it count], because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” 

– Ephesians 5:15-17

NEVER GIVE UP

Never Give Up. It's just three simple words, yet for some reason in our daily lives, we seem to struggle to remember this. If one gives up, they are essentially quitting. Later on in our lives, we don't want to look back and regret that we gave up. One should always strive to do their best. As a runner I can easily relate this to...(what's Megan going to say next? You guessed it.) Running! Specifically during races. This past week I ran in a race and I'll admit I gave up on myself. Let me tell you, that does not help your situation. On the course I ran at, I hit the longest most terrible hill. First error. I should believe that it is the best hill ever created! Then, I was passed and slowly but surely, things went down from there. This course also happened to be our home course. So today when I had practice there, I pushed myself past my breaking point. In order to prove to myself that if I simply hadn't given up, I would have ran even better! You have to challenge yourself to do great things. As Rocky Balboa said, "Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up." This is one of my favorite motto's because it's so very true!

If one gives up, they stop trying, they say "forget it" and don't worry anymore about what they can do to get back up. It's true that everyone does have their good and bad days. How are you supposed to have a GREAT day when everyday is good? However there's a difference in having a bad day and not trying. Sometimes the cards simply won't lay right, but if you don't try to win the deck, then you probably will lose that hand (I don't gamble). One of the most important things to remember is to never give up. Your luck may turn around! 

Sometimes it's hard to see that life will go on at the moment. Although it always will. We have to have perseverance to keep trying. The determination that we can do anything! You have to be the one to believe you can do anything, that you are a champion. We also must remember that we owe everything we do to the good Lord, Our God! Without him, you would not be reading this right now. He gave us all the gift of life! We are given the ability to do all kinds of things! Everyone has a talent! God knows that we can do great things. We must also believe in ourselves. God has given us the strength and ability to do what ever task we may put forth. Isn't that amazing! He wants us to live a happy and successful life. However we can't give up, no matter what path we take in our crazy lives. 

Never give up on reaching for your dreams. We must keep striving to conquer whatever task that may lay before us. On of my favorite sayings is from Walt Disney.
              
                  "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because                             we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

If we keep moving forward, we will see that there are so many doors to open. We can't give up simply because we feel something is to hard. We must keep pushing forward. It is the only way we can get better. To strive for the stars and don't let anything get in our way. In one of Disney's movies, "Meet the Robinsons" they emphasize the quote above. It's a kid movie but the theme behind it is very good. Just because something goes wrong, doesn't mean we should give up. That will get us no where in life. We must keep pursuing our dreams and opening new doors that lie ahead. The most awesome part, God will be with us through our entire journey through life! 

This is kind of random, however one of my favorite songs is from "Meet the Robinsons". It's called "Little Wonders", by Rob Thomas. The song reminds us that we must treasure the small moments in life that really mold you to what you are, and not to take them for granted. For the horrible things that happened, to let go of it, and move on, but at the same time holding on to precious moments in life. All in all, I think this song is about the little things that make us who we are. It's not the ordinary, everyday things that define us, but the more significant events like love, loss, etc. Everything else is just filler.

At the end of everyday I hope you can look back and say "I did not give up today. I have conquered the task, and I praise God for giving me this ability!" All you need to do is give it your best effort in all that you do. and NEVER GIVE UP! There will always be hard times in our lives. But we can't quit. God has an answer to every challenge set before us. Keep pushing yourself because at the end of the road, Greatness Awaits!

Never Give Up, 
Megan

"But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace."

~1 Corinthians 15:10