What a Difference Goggles Make!
Anyone who knows me also knows I am forever trying to lose weight. My latest activity to help me slim down is swimming.
On Sunday, I tried my hand at swimming the width of a pool in Maryland. While my strokes were decentish, I struggled holding my breath long enough to make it to the other side of the pool without stopping. This frustrated me.
I was with a friend who had goggles. I was slightly miffed at his ability to swim the width of the pool uninterrupted, especially since I had practiced the week before in my neighborhood pool, and he had not. (Men!) When he offered his goggles, I did not expect anything, but I put them on anyway and resumed my task. Interestingly enough, I was able to swim further than before. Immediately after getting out of the pool, I ordered goggles from Amazon.
My purchase arrived at my home on Tuesday (Gotta love Amazon!), so on Wednesday, I went back to my neighborhood pool. I could not believe that, not only was I immediately able to swim the width of the pool non-stop, but my mind was more relaxed while doing so.
After a few laps, I jumped out of the pool and texted, “What a difference goggles make!” to my friend in Maryland. He replied, “Indeed! Lol!” as if he was surprised that it took me so long to make the connection.
My experience reminded me of Solomon’s wisdom expressed in Proverbs 29:18, “When there is no vision, the people get out of control. (AMP)” When I could not see the edge of the pool, I could not control my breathing and mind long enough to persevere. But when I had vision, although I still wanted to stop, I remained in control because I saw how close I was to the end.
How many times have we lost self-control because we did not have a vision to help us endure the difficult situations? How many dreams have we killed because we rather hang out and let social media do our thinking instead of investing in and challenging ourselves? In how many relationships have we sacrificed ourselves because we did not have a clear vision of who we are and what we deserved, so we settled- wasting time and emotions? How many children and potential mentees have we distracted because we cannot discipline ourselves long enough to show them they do not have to walk the stereotypical paths that so many of us travel?
I am in a place now where I refuse to leave any of my potential on the table. I want everything God has placed in me to come out. I refuse to live below my capability, and I am not taking “no” for an answer, particularly when I’m the one saying it.
God has given me a vision, and I am going to control my thoughts, my desires, my actions, my time, and everything else to fulfill it. I am going to continue F1NE-TUNing myself to reach my destiny, and I know I can do it. Why? Because my goggles are making all the difference!