*Philippians 4:13*
*Matthew 19:26*
I wear a yellow “Livestrong” bracelet every day. I do not take it off if I can help it. My family started wearing the bracelets back when they first became a thing. My dad was going through cancer treatments at the time, and the bracelets raised money for cancer research. Now, I know what happened with Lance Armstrong and all of that. People like to remind me of that whenever they see me wearing the bracelet. I do not care about that. I wear the bracelet as a way to carry my dad with me every day; it reminds me of the person he was and the kind of person I want to be. In recent years, I have reflected on the words “Live Strong” and discovered they have a deeper meaning.
I have always liked the verse Philippians 4:13; it’s in my Instagram bio, and I try to live by it. When I think about strength, I think about how my dad was able to go through all of his treatments and still have the energy to be a great dad and coach. I know he had to feel terrible most days. I have asked myself how he did it. I think about my mom being able to carry on after he died, making make sure my brother, sister, and I had what we needed, when she was going through so much herself. Even before that, she had to take care of a lot of things on her own. She was always taking care of the needs of others and still is for the most part. As a kid, you do not stop to consider all that your parents are going through or how difficult their lives might be. I have asked myself, how? Normal people just cannot do that. As I got older, I realized that it was God. God made it possible. God gave them the strength to get through it.
Anybody who knows me knows I love music; I always have. The thing about music is it’s something that most everyone can relate to. One of my favorite gospel songs is “I Can’t Even Walk”. I’m not sure whose song it was originally, but I like Cody Johnson’s version. The second verse says, “I thought of myself as a mighty big man, but lord I can’t even walk without you holding my hand.” We often try to handle too much on our own. When the truth is, there are just some things we can’t do. Without God that is. The final verse of that song says, “I think I’ll make Jesus my all in all, and if I’m in trouble on his name I’ll call; if I didn’t trust him, I’d be less of a man…” When you feel like there is something in your life that is impossible, ask god to hold your hand through it. It might be impossible for you, but Jesus says, “…With God nothing is impossible (Mathew 19:26).
I know 2020 was not the year anyone wanted, but it is what we got. Moving forward into 2021, I hope we can all take it on with a positive attitude. When times get tough, we can turn to God. I know I try to take on too much on my own a lot of times. I know I can step back and let God handle it. I hope we will all remember that this year, and let his strength pull us through.