Have you ever wake up one morning with a terrible pain in your chest wondering; do I really need to go through the rest of the day?

It’s fist time in the morning my house still spreading the sweet aroma of coffee and I already feel tired and all bit up by the constant thoughts of “self-pity”, they try to indulge myself to quit.

I’ve observed that life gets messy when you don’t want to pay the price of sacrificing for a dream, or to repair a broken marriage or getting in shape; but neither you want to keep getting the same unfruitful results. Guess what? When you get into that point you either PAY OR LOSE!

We waste the most beautiful time of our life starting things that we never finish, dreaming dreams that never become true and they end up in the “recycle trash” from where we take them back, at the beginning of a new year, to decorate our “resolution list”. That’s insane!

I also observe that in a world where almost everything can be “microwaved”, a world dominated by drive- through, elevators, and internet; we get so used to comfort and commodities that we see technology as the always wanted savior that abolish all kind of self-effort, self-discipline and perseverance. But we can’t microwave our character!

We want it all fast, easy and now! let's face it, nowadays we even get rewarded if we are in a "fast-food" restaurant and they delay serving our food. People size the amount to their tips according to how fast and diligent the waitress serves and not based in our wiliness to give. WE HATE WAITING!!!!

I got news! we need to learn how to wait in a world that teach us how to make it fast. We boycott and sabotage our own life when we don't take the "TIME" to shape our character because even if we make it to the top, it requires character to keep ourselves there.

The only way I can stop quitting in life is stopping quitting! To do so I need to be determined and proofed in my character. Everybody hates process, because it takes TIME; process is such a pain; you feel like dying but unfortunately it’s the only way to grow and get to the other side.

Seventeen years ago my husband and I went to camp with the young group of our church. One of the activities planned for the weekend included exploring a cave hiding in the middle of nowhere. We started all excited; for a moment I revealed the “Dora the explorer” adventure’s spirit that we all have inside; but when you get deeper and deeper EVERYTHING gets dark, and our laughs were dissipated by the hesitation of the unknown.

Everything got darker and after 10 min walking we found ourselves laying on the floor been moved by our elbows. Now it was dark and narrow! The huge problem was that we were already too far to go back but so scared and tired to press forward.

Years later I’ve found myself in so many caves, with bleeding elbows and unsure where to go but only clear in one thing; The only way to get out is getting IN! The only way to get out of any life issue is facing the issue.

I got inspirited by Dr. Tim Elmore's book when he says "the answer is to move forward in the direction we believe is right and to be clear. Clarity is much more important that certainty"

Everybody has a definition for success! For many people success is money, career, marriage, entertainment, companionship, etc. In my case “perseverance is success”. Because once you learn how to persevere, all thing mentioned above may come to pass.

Few years ago I start taking some “indoors cycling” class; on my first day I was trying to do and excel all the exercises as the instructor taught the class. After the first quarter of hour the instructor approached me and he whispered, “ Today, tomorrow and for the following 3 weeks it’s not about speed, climbing or racing, it’s about resisting the pain of the seat”

I didn’t understand it until the next morning when my “suspension” area was hurting until the point I needed special pillow to sit down. What I’m trying to say is that sometimes success is not getting all in one time or getting “there” in one single ride; but resisting the pain and persevere.

Right now, there are some areas of my life where I know that as far as I keep pressing forward I’ll be succeeding; no matter if I haven’t get “there” yet I’m a winner as far as I don’t go back and quit.

In Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior; we have the promise of His help, and we are also fully equipped with free WI-FI connection powered by the Holy Spirit and a Free 24/7 Help Line. When we feel that our elbows are bleeding, it’s time, to go to on our knees and let God be our Helper!

I hope you find this thoughts inspiring and helpful; I meditated on them while I was doing my devotional this morning and I also remembered an old lesson when God created the heavens and the earth. Even when everything still messy and there where so many things pending for the next days, He took the time, each day, to stop and look the process of His creation and said: It’s good!

We should imitate God! Everyday as we walk in life stop and say “So far so good”