I worked from home today. It's nice to be able to work from home because I can work in my pajamas, with my scarf and fuzzy socks on. I am so blessed to have a job that allows me to do this.
I started working around 8:00 this morning and right around 3:30 I started feeling restless. Since I knew I would be working in the evening too, I decided to head over to Cowles Mountain to get in a little exercise and try to break my previous record of 50 minutes. I started up the mountain at 4:20. Five minutes into the climb a woman who was walking with her two children tells me "There's a snake over there." I IMMEDIATELY panicked. Anyone who knows me knows that two of my biggest fears are the furry felines that some call pets, and snakes. It doesn't matter what kind of snake it is, as a matter of fact, it could be the skin the snake shed. Even that's enough to cause me to act a fool.
When she said she saw a snake, I stopped in my tracks. So she said, "It's only a baby snake” as she held out her hands about 16 inches apart. In my head I panicked again. It could be 16 inches, or 16 centimeters. I don't care. I don't want to be anywhere near snakes. I'm one of those people who turn away from the TV if they show a snake on there.
My first thought was to turn around and head to the gym where I could get in a good work out without having to face any fears. As quickly as that thought came, the voice inside my head said 'Keep Moving'. So I did.
To some this may not seem like a big deal but to me it was a powerful moment. Scripturally, I realize that we are not to be ruled by fear (2 Timothy 1:7) but sometimes fear gets the best of me and it's hard for me to drown out the voices that speak fear into my situations. So moving forward up the mountain was a big deal to me.
Before I started walking again, I put Israel Houghton's Moving Forward on repeat play on my IPod and pressed on. By the time I got halfway to the top of the mountain, I had forgotten about the snakes (sort of) and was focusing on my goals: getting to the top of the mountain without fear and breaking my record. All the way up the mountain I sang the song aloud...sometimes really loud. People were looking at me but I didn't care. I smiled at them and kept moving forward. I didn't worry about what they thought about me, about how crazy they thought I looked or how bad they thought my singing was. I moved on towards my goal...my purpose.
I didn't give up and I also didn't see any snakes. I'm sure the snakes were there, but I didn't let my fear force me to miss out on this wonderful opportunity to make it to the top AND get in a great workout. It would be dishonest to say that my fear of snakes is gone. It's not. I'm glad I didn't turn around...it's all about moving forward now. Let's Go!!!! TraciH.
I started working around 8:00 this morning and right around 3:30 I started feeling restless. Since I knew I would be working in the evening too, I decided to head over to Cowles Mountain to get in a little exercise and try to break my previous record of 50 minutes. I started up the mountain at 4:20. Five minutes into the climb a woman who was walking with her two children tells me "There's a snake over there." I IMMEDIATELY panicked. Anyone who knows me knows that two of my biggest fears are the furry felines that some call pets, and snakes. It doesn't matter what kind of snake it is, as a matter of fact, it could be the skin the snake shed. Even that's enough to cause me to act a fool.
When she said she saw a snake, I stopped in my tracks. So she said, "It's only a baby snake” as she held out her hands about 16 inches apart. In my head I panicked again. It could be 16 inches, or 16 centimeters. I don't care. I don't want to be anywhere near snakes. I'm one of those people who turn away from the TV if they show a snake on there.
My first thought was to turn around and head to the gym where I could get in a good work out without having to face any fears. As quickly as that thought came, the voice inside my head said 'Keep Moving'. So I did.
To some this may not seem like a big deal but to me it was a powerful moment. Scripturally, I realize that we are not to be ruled by fear (2 Timothy 1:7) but sometimes fear gets the best of me and it's hard for me to drown out the voices that speak fear into my situations. So moving forward up the mountain was a big deal to me.
Before I started walking again, I put Israel Houghton's Moving Forward on repeat play on my IPod and pressed on. By the time I got halfway to the top of the mountain, I had forgotten about the snakes (sort of) and was focusing on my goals: getting to the top of the mountain without fear and breaking my record. All the way up the mountain I sang the song aloud...sometimes really loud. People were looking at me but I didn't care. I smiled at them and kept moving forward. I didn't worry about what they thought about me, about how crazy they thought I looked or how bad they thought my singing was. I moved on towards my goal...my purpose.
I didn't give up and I also didn't see any snakes. I'm sure the snakes were there, but I didn't let my fear force me to miss out on this wonderful opportunity to make it to the top AND get in a great workout. It would be dishonest to say that my fear of snakes is gone. It's not. I'm glad I didn't turn around...it's all about moving forward now. Let's Go!!!! TraciH.
Every step forward takes you a little closer to the promise and a little further from the past!
Bishop T.D. Jakes
Bishop T.D. Jakes
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