Written by R. E. Bailes
Find the Strength to Reach Your Goals!
It is the summer of 1976 at my home in Selmer, Tennessee and we were living the country life to it's fullest. All I could think about was my horse and all the places I could ride that summer. We had woods that went forever behind our house. Sometimes I could ride for a couple of hours before turning around and it was mostly because I had to find my way back home. It was allot of fun and my other three brothers all had their own interests that kept us running in different directions at least until we had our family basketball games in the side yard on our dirt court with our rusty backboard that wobbled back ad forth every time someone took a shot.
It was a usual dry, hot day in June when I walked outside to find my older brother, John, jump roping his way down the driveway. I thought that was odd because I had always seen girls jump roping, but not guys! So, I decided to observe what was going on with my brother as he turned the end of the driveway and headed down the road. I walked to the end of the drive and caught a glimpse of him just as he went around the curve. He was jump roping and running at the same time!
The laid back person that I was, I decided to sit at the edge of our yard and wait for him to come back. I liked observing things that other people did as a child too. It just interests me to know why people do things they do!
I began to think that John wasn't coming back when I saw him coming back around the curve in the road that he had taken when he left about an hour earlier! When I saw him this time, he appeared to be in intense pain and was profusely sweating all over. I thought maybe he had gotten lost or maybe he had fallen along the way and was hurt and maybe he could barely make it home, as I noticed his pace had greatly decreased. I started to ask if he was ok and he just flew right past me with a focused look in his eyes like I had never seen before in my brother. I remember thinking that he must be in survival mode and can't think straight. Hmm? Don't we all get like that at times in our busy lives, especially as single parents?
I had an even bigger surprise when I got to the house to find John walking around and around the house after his long hop/run! Again I started to ask what he was doing but he just walked with that same blank stare! I was really getting worried about him at this point so I sat down on the steps and waited for him to speak up, but he didn't. When he finally stopped walking around the house, he went into the carport and started jumping up and touching a piece of tape on the wall! I couldn't believe it! He looked totally exhausted! He looked like he couldn't take another step! Now he is jumping? He kept jumping until I finally saw him collapse on the concrete floor, gasping for air again totally covered in sweat.
It was then that I ran in to get my dad to come help him up! I called out to my dad, "Hurry dad! Somethings wrong with John! He's been running and jump roping for over an hour and then he walked around the house like 5 times and then he jumped up and down in the carport until he just fell down on the floor! Hurry dad! He might be dying! Hurry!" Well, my dad kind of chuckled and said,"I'm sure he's ok." So calmly he assured me that John was just doing what he told him to do. I didn't really understand at first what he was saying, but I still got him to go out and check on John. Dad went to the carport and John still laid on the concrete floor breathing hard. Dad said,"Are you going to make it son?" and John said, " Of course! I just am doing what you told me to do!" I didn't know that my father had given John this exercise routine just the day before and that John was just following his fathers guidance because he wanted to be the very best player on the McNairy Central High School basketball team more than anything else in the world that day! He wanted to be a star player in the game! I saw my brother continue doing this day after day for the next few months as his body began to take on unbelievable transformations. His legs got like oak trees and his upper body showed every muscle, as he was leaner than ever before! He kept raising the tape on the wall in the carport to jump to and kept extending the length of his jump roping runs looking forward to that day when he would have the chance to play against and with the best of the player across the state. Well, it paid off! I actually remember him taking one step at the foul line and jumping up so high that he could take the ball between his legs and then dunk it! I believe his nickname became "hotdog" after that. Hotdog was a term used back the for the guy that takes the show. I was so proud of my brother though I may not have told him. But it was the first day when I saw him gasping on the floor of our carport and my father told me why he had done all that, that my brother became my hero! He was running the race and not giving up! He was suffering and waiting for the results that he couldn't see right then! He was trusting his father that had directed him to do this. What I also didn't know was that my own father had been the coach for the team for two consecutive years that had won the International Navy Volleyball Championship and he knew exactly what he was doing when he gave my brother his training to be a winner in the game of basketball! All my brother needed was perseverance, determination and the trust to wait on the results that would build his strength to not only be able to play basket ball that year but to also go on to gain a soccer scholarship into college and then to play on the USA Soccer All Conference team with the Best of the best from colleges across the US.
It is amazing that I was able to witness that day the start of what literally changed the destiny of my brother and his future! He may have found another way to do what he did, yes? He may have struggled along on his own and found out how to build his strength quicker through supplements or even steroids like some athletes did back then. Instead he went to his father and his father gave him the guidance he needed. he still had to do the work! He still had to run; he had to walk and he had to rest to get the strength to fly like the eagles on the court! I loved to watch him jump when he would go in to make his layups or dunks. I knew he was meant to do this. Why? Because he had a passion built into his heart to do it! God had made him that way!
Parents, there is a plan for each of our lives no matter where we are in the race! Whether you are just picking up the rope; whether you are rounding the curve; whether you have been run/jumping for an hour and still have to get back home; whether you are coming back up the driveway and the house is right in front of you; you must walk and you will not faint! The walking has it's purpose after the run! It cools us down and slows our heart rate so that we won't get sick. You may have to go jump in the carport right after the walk until you can't stand anymore, BUT don't grow weary! Don't give up! Your Father knows that you are getting stronger a little each day and one day when the transformation is obvious YOU WILL be able to do even more because YOU WILL renew your STRENGTH!
Remember though! Just as my brother's incredible God given strength didn't come over night; we must wait on the Lord to give us new strength! You see, waiting is not an option. We must wait upon the Lord!
Our scripture to remember for today is,
Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Find the Strength to Reach Your Goals!
It is the summer of 1976 at my home in Selmer, Tennessee and we were living the country life to it's fullest. All I could think about was my horse and all the places I could ride that summer. We had woods that went forever behind our house. Sometimes I could ride for a couple of hours before turning around and it was mostly because I had to find my way back home. It was allot of fun and my other three brothers all had their own interests that kept us running in different directions at least until we had our family basketball games in the side yard on our dirt court with our rusty backboard that wobbled back ad forth every time someone took a shot.
It was a usual dry, hot day in June when I walked outside to find my older brother, John, jump roping his way down the driveway. I thought that was odd because I had always seen girls jump roping, but not guys! So, I decided to observe what was going on with my brother as he turned the end of the driveway and headed down the road. I walked to the end of the drive and caught a glimpse of him just as he went around the curve. He was jump roping and running at the same time!
The laid back person that I was, I decided to sit at the edge of our yard and wait for him to come back. I liked observing things that other people did as a child too. It just interests me to know why people do things they do!
I began to think that John wasn't coming back when I saw him coming back around the curve in the road that he had taken when he left about an hour earlier! When I saw him this time, he appeared to be in intense pain and was profusely sweating all over. I thought maybe he had gotten lost or maybe he had fallen along the way and was hurt and maybe he could barely make it home, as I noticed his pace had greatly decreased. I started to ask if he was ok and he just flew right past me with a focused look in his eyes like I had never seen before in my brother. I remember thinking that he must be in survival mode and can't think straight. Hmm? Don't we all get like that at times in our busy lives, especially as single parents?
I had an even bigger surprise when I got to the house to find John walking around and around the house after his long hop/run! Again I started to ask what he was doing but he just walked with that same blank stare! I was really getting worried about him at this point so I sat down on the steps and waited for him to speak up, but he didn't. When he finally stopped walking around the house, he went into the carport and started jumping up and touching a piece of tape on the wall! I couldn't believe it! He looked totally exhausted! He looked like he couldn't take another step! Now he is jumping? He kept jumping until I finally saw him collapse on the concrete floor, gasping for air again totally covered in sweat.
It was then that I ran in to get my dad to come help him up! I called out to my dad, "Hurry dad! Somethings wrong with John! He's been running and jump roping for over an hour and then he walked around the house like 5 times and then he jumped up and down in the carport until he just fell down on the floor! Hurry dad! He might be dying! Hurry!" Well, my dad kind of chuckled and said,"I'm sure he's ok." So calmly he assured me that John was just doing what he told him to do. I didn't really understand at first what he was saying, but I still got him to go out and check on John. Dad went to the carport and John still laid on the concrete floor breathing hard. Dad said,"Are you going to make it son?" and John said, " Of course! I just am doing what you told me to do!" I didn't know that my father had given John this exercise routine just the day before and that John was just following his fathers guidance because he wanted to be the very best player on the McNairy Central High School basketball team more than anything else in the world that day! He wanted to be a star player in the game! I saw my brother continue doing this day after day for the next few months as his body began to take on unbelievable transformations. His legs got like oak trees and his upper body showed every muscle, as he was leaner than ever before! He kept raising the tape on the wall in the carport to jump to and kept extending the length of his jump roping runs looking forward to that day when he would have the chance to play against and with the best of the player across the state. Well, it paid off! I actually remember him taking one step at the foul line and jumping up so high that he could take the ball between his legs and then dunk it! I believe his nickname became "hotdog" after that. Hotdog was a term used back the for the guy that takes the show. I was so proud of my brother though I may not have told him. But it was the first day when I saw him gasping on the floor of our carport and my father told me why he had done all that, that my brother became my hero! He was running the race and not giving up! He was suffering and waiting for the results that he couldn't see right then! He was trusting his father that had directed him to do this. What I also didn't know was that my own father had been the coach for the team for two consecutive years that had won the International Navy Volleyball Championship and he knew exactly what he was doing when he gave my brother his training to be a winner in the game of basketball! All my brother needed was perseverance, determination and the trust to wait on the results that would build his strength to not only be able to play basket ball that year but to also go on to gain a soccer scholarship into college and then to play on the USA Soccer All Conference team with the Best of the best from colleges across the US.
It is amazing that I was able to witness that day the start of what literally changed the destiny of my brother and his future! He may have found another way to do what he did, yes? He may have struggled along on his own and found out how to build his strength quicker through supplements or even steroids like some athletes did back then. Instead he went to his father and his father gave him the guidance he needed. he still had to do the work! He still had to run; he had to walk and he had to rest to get the strength to fly like the eagles on the court! I loved to watch him jump when he would go in to make his layups or dunks. I knew he was meant to do this. Why? Because he had a passion built into his heart to do it! God had made him that way!
Parents, there is a plan for each of our lives no matter where we are in the race! Whether you are just picking up the rope; whether you are rounding the curve; whether you have been run/jumping for an hour and still have to get back home; whether you are coming back up the driveway and the house is right in front of you; you must walk and you will not faint! The walking has it's purpose after the run! It cools us down and slows our heart rate so that we won't get sick. You may have to go jump in the carport right after the walk until you can't stand anymore, BUT don't grow weary! Don't give up! Your Father knows that you are getting stronger a little each day and one day when the transformation is obvious YOU WILL be able to do even more because YOU WILL renew your STRENGTH!
Remember though! Just as my brother's incredible God given strength didn't come over night; we must wait on the Lord to give us new strength! You see, waiting is not an option. We must wait upon the Lord!
Our scripture to remember for today is,
Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
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