Opportunity

This morning I woke up at my parents house in Greenville, North Carolina.  Usually that would make me really excited because it would mean I'm on vacation, but today is different.  Laying in my bed I looked out my window at the early morning sky.  It was a foggy bluish gray.  If I could describe how I feel right now with a color or a picture that would be it.  Blah.  I am a roller coaster of emotions.  My life has never been more uncertain.  And all the highs and lows inside of me are mixed together and even out to this foggy, gray color.

As a child you go to kindergarten, go home and play; then you go to elementary school, go to soccer practice, piano practice; then it's middle school followed by high school with more practices, plays, etc.  Next you go to college, vocational school, or get a job.  Then you go to more school or get a job.  What happens when you are done with one stage of life but you can't get to the next one?  When you are stuck in purgatory... what do you do then?  That's where I am but I don't know what to do.    

Laying there staring at the sky, it might as well been a painting of my emotions, I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes.  "Why do so many people dread adversity when it is only through adversity that we grow stronger." - John Wooden  I am experiencing some adversity now.  Like heavy weights and most problems in life, adversity must be attacked.  Crying won't help me, even though I wanted to from time to time on the drive back yesterday.  Anger and frustration won't produce anything positive, even though there were also points when I wanted to scream the f word at the top of my lungs in the car yesterday.  No one would've heard it, and it wouldn't make me feel better.  I thought about something Coach D said months ago.  He was trying to follow a vigorous weight lifting regimen with Mike and David and due to his slight age difference he got a little banged up.  He couldn't squat so he said his injury was an opportunity to become an RDL specialist.  That's what I have right now... an opportunity.   An opportunity to strengthen my trust and faith in Christ.  An opportunity to seek God's will for my life and discover ways I can honor and further His Kingdom.  An opportunity to become a better, stronger witness of His love.

Before I left Auburn I told all my athletes that they had an amazing opportunity... to participate in collegiate athletics.  To grow as an athlete and as a person.  To put aside their differences and work with their teammates towards a common goal.  To make life long friends.  I wanted them to realize what they have so they would make the most of it and cherish it.  I too have an opportunity.  Mine just isn't quite as appealing as theirs but it is still an opportunity to get better and those must not be squandered.  On a heavy set of 10 for back squat the bar is going to move real slow on the last few reps, you can rack it or keep grinding them out.  I'm going to keep grinding even though its uncomfortable, quitting would be the easy thing to do and rarely in life is the easy thing the right thing to do.

Now I'm going to lift weights in my garage to try to restore some normalcy to my life.