In life, the storms we face aren't meant to control us.
Next time you're going through a hard season, I want you to remember that every time things seem awful, you have an incredible opportunity to build strength, faith, and peace. There are all sorts of storms in life. There's the storm of failure, and every time I see someone give up their vision because of failure, my heart hurts. There is the storm of someone walking out of your life. There will be storms of tragedy and hard times, but let me tell you something.
Your storms aren't meant to break you.
I've been using the term 'storm' metaphorically, but a little while ago, there was a real storm in Texas. I practice what I preach, so even though the weather was rough, I went out and did my daily running. Even though the weather had changed from sunny to stormy, I went out and did what I needed to do. The point I'm trying to make is simple—far too often, fear of our storms stop us from doing what we know is good for us. Instead of forgetting yourself the moment storms arrive at your door, you have a choice. You can either give up, or you can take your life to the next level.
Trust me—I understand that life can suck. However, more often than not, those difficult seasons arrive into our lives to mold you. They exist to build you—not break you down. Those seasons exist to better your life, and the choice to never surrender is a choice that will help you level up even more after the storm is passed. Let me tell you something—I've felt depression. I've felt pain, and I've felt fear, doubt, and loss. In the midst of one of my most difficult seasons, I made the toughest but best decision I've ever made in my life. I made the decision to never surrender. I decided that no matter how bad things got, I would never retreat or give up. I decided that I would keep going on with my life, because there were people counting on me. I decided that I would keep pushing forward, because I was counting on me.
At that moment, I understood that even though the road is bumpy, inconvenient, and sometimes even painful, the road was the only one of its kind. One way or another, if I followed my path and stayed true to my vision, the road would get me to my destination.
Whoever out there is reading this right now, I need you to know something. I don't know you or your vision, and I don't know what your storms look like, but you and I both know one thing. You understand your path, and you know what you need to do. It's time for you to pursue it with everything you've got.
It all starts with you.
