Stay Close to Your Source

​Many times in life, we can drift away from the things that grounded and encouraged us at the start of our journey. It could be a person, an activity, or even a special place. For me, it was my faith. Praying was a way for me to disconnect from the grind of training and competing, and remind myself that all of my hard work wasn’t just routine, but it had a purpose. My goals mattered enough for me to put this much work in, and it would be worth it — if only so I could say that I tried.

Think of your source like a ship. The ship is what protects us from the dangers of the sea, and its anchor steadies us, no matter how deep the water is. Sometimes, though, we get caught up with life’s responsibilities, make new relationships, and stop thinking about the ship. We look up and around, captivated by every task we have to complete and who wants our attention, and accidentally step off the ship — falling into the water.

We might think it’s no big deal if we drift away from what grounds us, that we’re strong enough on our own, but we don’t know how much our hearts and minds might be needing that connection. While God is our central source, sometimes He might lead us to other ways He wants to use to ground us. To talk to that person who’s always supported us, to take care of that plant that’s been sitting on the ledge, to just breathe.

The beauty is that the water — God's grace — will carry us back to the ship. This is key. No matter what mistakes we've made or how far we've drifted, God is always willing to bring us back. The ship is still here, and in order to brave the unknown and find uncharted territory, we need to stay within it — anchored to it as we move forward.

Many times as I sat on the bus, exhausted from pushing myself to the limit, I opened my Bible casually, only to find that every word was speaking to me in a way I never knew I needed. Being a small city girl in major competitions was hard, and many people wanted to see me fall, but those few pages of scripture reminded me that I was still worthy, excellent, and important, even if others didn’t think so.

I encourage you to stay on the ship, connected to the Lord, because it’s through your source that you will be able to rise higher and achieve your dreams.