“As Lonnie Bedwell and I paddled 277 miles through the Grand Canyon, we hope to encourage 1 million people to take the No Barriers Pledge, a pledge that says, What’s within me is stronger than what’s in my way. We hope our big challenge will push others to pick a significant barrier holding them back, attack it, and shatter it into a million pieces.” (Erik Weihenmayer)
For those of you who haven’t heard of Erik Weihenmayer and Lonnie Bedwell they are a blind duo that kayaked the 277 miles of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. They are blind!
Dustin and I first heard of Erik Weihenmayer in 2011 when we watched Expedition Impossible. The show was about teams that had to race across Morocco. There were mountains, rivers, desert, and all sorts of obstacles. We were amazed at what this man was doing without being able to see. We were also amazed at how well he and one of his teammates, who had also been his guide on previous mountain climbing experiences, worked together.
This morning I was reading through Dustin’s Sports Illustrated and saw a little blurb about kayakingblind.org and had to check it out. Not only do they strive to live a “No Boundaries” lifestyle, but they want to encourage and inspire others to do the same and overcome all sorts of life challenges (big and small). Check out their website nobarriersusa.org to see some really cool and inspirational stories.
Hearing things like this gives me a mix of emotions. It shocks me at what people are able to accomplish if they aren’t willing to quit. It makes me long to have the heart and the will power that these types of people have. It makes me feel encouraged to take on the world and guilty that I haven’t done more. I feel embarrassed about the times that I struggle to stay motivated to complete the 25 minute workouts for T25, while the whole time thinking it might just be too hard.
Too hard? What is that? Something in our minds that tells us it’s ok if we quit because too much is being asked of us. Why do some people struggle with this excuse their whole lives and others, many who face greater challenges, don’t allow this thought in their heads?
Do you ever hear a story about someone who faced a huge tragedy or loss in their life and made it through with an amazing attitude and being extremely positive and determined? I want to be like that. And I think it all starts with Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
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