#11 "I can't do it"

I know I sort of covered this when I discussed when to quit, but I was talking to someone about it tonight, and I can’t help but feel like there’s more to be said. At what point do you tap out and say you just can’t do it? I feel like the problem with this issue is that we are in our logical brains when we ask it. We are looking for a clear-cut answer, a line waiting to be crossed. We want it to be as yes-or-no as when we say we broke our leg and can’t walk. This way of thinking is faulty and needs to be shifted to a different mindset. 

Remember, a strength is when we find something we love enough to suffer for. But the question of where we draw the line is a question of how much or little we love our health compared  to anything else. Think of it like a scale, with the mission on one side and your health on the other. The question truly at stake here is which you love more: your health or your mission. Perhaps you love them almost equally, in which case you make accommodations to make your mission happen. But if you love your health more than your mission, it’s time to draw that line, perhaps even to the point where you no longer make this particular thing your mission. 

I understand that saying it like this sounds condescending, but I actually don’t judge either decision. What I am getting at is the idea that we all love certain things to certain extents. That is the way life is. The bible says to love your neighbor as yourself. This means if you don’t have the love of self as a frame of reference, you will make a mess because you don’t fully understand the standard you should treat others with. You won’t be able to love others well because the standard for loving is out of focus. It’s a balancing act of loves and if one love is lacking, the balance of life will make a mess.

It should also be said that this isn’t just about your health, it could be about any number of things. I am focusing on self-preservation because it seems most prevalent. For some reason, we often feel it is the most neglectable card in our deck. We act as though we could just ignore how we are doing and be fine with it. Make no mistake, I am a strong advocate of discipline, but if there is no love, there is no strength. Without a cause, a man is guaranteed to fall far before he has given it his all and he is guaranteed to perish.

And the question that follows is this: is there an “ought” to this thought? Should we simply accept that we love one thing more than another and run with that? I think so, but the matter is entirely up to you. Do you want to keep going with something? Do you think you should quit? All I am saying right now is how to measure the strength: if you don’t have the love, you won’t make the trip. What you love might involve sacrifices. And if you are unwilling to make them, it might cause problems. Where you go from there is up to you. 

But what if you want to press on? What if you want the love you lack? Where do you go from there? Tricky question! First of all, ask yourself if you ever had it. If you did, go back and rekindle that flame. Remind yourself of the day when you first encountered that love. Retrace your steps to find out where you lost it. Be intentional about getting it back. Maybe you loved going to the gym, but your workouts got too hard. Dial them down and start going again. Maybe you need to remind yourself why you married your spouse. Take yourself back to that spark and figure out why it’s no longer worth bleeding for. Correct the path and adjust your course to get back to it.

I pray you learn to draw your lines and shift your perspective from “can’s and cants,” to the balancing of loves. I pray you find your way and walk find your balances as you strongly navigate the test of life.

Until next time

May Peace be your guide and reward