Today I am going to talk about an earthquake that happened at training camp. One of the requirements of WRGY is to hike 2.2 hilly miles in under 38 minutes with your 30-40 pound pack strapped to your back. Now, just to top it off, we are in Georgia in July, so the day my squad hiked it was around 100 degrees outside… This caused the hike to be even more intense, but NOT impossible. My team managed to finish with about 5 minutes to spare, which was amazing, and took my breath away, literally. As soon as my team crossed the finish line, the adrenaline pushing me forward stopped, and I became aware of physically what the hike did to my body. My hands were shaking and numb because I was dehydrated, my temples throbbed, and my body was tingly all over. I could barely keep myself sitting up, and was on the verge of passing out. In that moment I had a flashback to something I wanted desperately to forget that had happened last September.
I was running a cross-country race in similar weather conditions- hot, sunny, and humid. At the end of the race I collapsed at the finish, and had to sit in an ambulance for about 45 minutes while they gave me oxygen and lots of ice packs to cool me down. I remembered that moment of fear and worry about what was going to happen next. Was I going to pass out? Could I get my heart rate down? Both of those times I felt completely engulfed by fear. I felt completely out of control of my body and the situation, and I was terrified. Remembering this episode sent me into the beginning of a panic attack…until I remembered what my leaders had told me the night before. When we are faced with situations that cause us to feel enclosed by fear with no way to get out, we need to get rid of those lies that the enemy feeds us. We need to remember that no matter what we face, God is always present with us, holding our hand every step of the way. Knowing this helped me be able to calm my breathing and listen to God telling me that He was with me in that moment. Through this and the prayer of a dear new sister in Christ, I was able to slow my breathing, and regain the feeling in my hands and face. We all conquered the fitness hike, even though it wasn’t easy. Sometimes we have to do hard things, and trust in the strength and endurance the Lord provides us with.
Now I have a challenge for you. Something that the WR staff challenged me and all of their racers, and that is this:
-Try to identify a certain “earthquake” moment you have had in your life. A time you felt like your world was shaken, or you felt completely engulfed by your situation, and ask God to show you where He was in that moment. Ask Him to show you how you grew from that circumstance, and what truths lie beneath the surface. Who knows? Processing that really hard situation you had to go through in the past could be the key to walking in freedom for your future.
