Some magicians can walk on water; Chuck Norris can swim on land.
I was inspired by Moon Cho's, "Mind Over Matter: How to Tap into your Deepest Sense of Will" in which she reflects on Diana Nyad's epic swim of over 100 miles from Cuba to Florida. At age 64 it is a mind-boggling feat.
Cho muses, "She continued to swim even when her throat and tongue swelled, when she endlessly vomited, and even on her last breath - what an achievement and force of nature! I marvelled at how she could possibly accomplish this at age 64? [Why not] in her20?s, 30?s or even 40?s when her body would have been much stronger?"
Her answer gave me pause: "I realized that she could not have made this journey in her earlier years because her will and spirituality were not mature, strong and deep enough to transcend herself for what most would consider an impossible feat."
There is much hope and challenge in Cho's conclusion. As we mature we have greater depth of spirit that enables us even beyond the normal physical limitations of our bodies. Cho quotes Bruce Lee's belief that "the power of the will is the Supreme Court of one's mind."
How do we accomplish the near impossible? Cho says, "The power of our will is closely tied to our spirituality - to be in touch with something higher than ourselves - and the depth of this connection - the deeper your connection, the stronger your will and resolve."
Is there any dream we cannot accomplish? Our passion to achieve somethingwill help us enable that deep power of our will. Whatever our spiritual or even physical quest, we can achieve mind over matter and tap our deepest sense of will.
As Christians we have the added assurance that the Holy Spirit will strengthen us as we pursue a worthy goal. Life becomes more exciting and possibilities become greater as we transcend our fear and hesitation to accomplish what God calls us to do.