In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. It is there in black and white. Just 5 words into the book of Genesis we see the first characteristics the Bible tells us about God: He existed before the beginning and He is the ultimate creative.

For all of known time and before our God has been creative. This excites me because just a few verses later in Genesis it says:

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:27 NLT

We were made in God’s image. So, when we create we are reflecting the Father. When we act, sing, dance, etc. we are showing the world our God. When we lean into the way He made us, that creativity shines through for His glory.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:16 NIV

God gives us gifts to use. If you have a talent, how are you using it? What awesome thing can you do? Are you doing it now?

It is day 87 and I am happy to report I am still going strong. I am tired. I am sore. BUT, I am still going.

No long post tonight. Just thankful for this journey. I am down 33 pounds at this point and feel better than I have in quite some time. I am glad I finally got moving. It is hard to believe I only have 13 days to go to hit my goal.

Time is going to pass. I might as well be moving toward my goals while it does.

Have you ever had one of those times where the stress was about all you could take? You keep putting one foot in front of the other, but it gets harder. It’s like a weight. Where do you go when this happens?

I had a wonderful reminder yesterday of where I go. Home. With my wife. She is solace personified. After a day with her I felt more like myself.

What is solace?

Solace – noun – comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness.

To be clear, I am not sad. I have just been running really hard for a while. I have been tired. I have been stressed. I have needed comfort. I have it.

Where do you go for solace? I know several people who go out to nature. It calms them. I know several who go to church. I do as well. God is my ultimate solace.

How about you?

Can it really be possible? Is 2022 almost over. It seems like it has gone by in a blur. Especially these past 85 days. I guess time really does fly when you are having fun, or at least when you are hard at work at your goals.

As I mentioned a few days ago, the hardest stretch of my 100 Day Strong journey is here. I am in a Christmas musical at my church and it opens this week. We have 9 shows to perform over the next 6 days and I am determined to crush it this week.

I was watching a video online earlier. A motivational coach was talking about winning. One of the points he made sounded something like this:

Winning is the goal. It is the thing we work at. We strive to win. We pour in the sweat and the tears for the chance to win. Will the work and the sweat guarantee a win? No. But, we put them in regardless, because without them we will never be in a position to win. The work gets us ready for when the opportunity presents itself. – Paraphrased from what I heard

I have found the above statement to be true. Has all the work I have done guaranteed me anything? No. It has, however, put me in a position where I feel better. I am more motivated. I am achieving things that matter to me. Will there be opportunities arise out of the work I have done? Who knows, but if they do they would not have been there otherwise.

So, I will keep working. I will keep grinding. I will achieve the goals I wrote down my List for the time period I set out. When that is complete, I will set another goal. Now that I have come this far, I can’t turn back. Will it guarantee success? No. But, it will guarantee that I am giving it my best effort to achieve it. That is the better way to be.

We do hard things. That is one of our family mottos. It is something that we have tried to instill in our son. It is who we choose to be.

I remind myself of this motto on days like today. I am tired. My body aches. I have been busy with things not on my list, but I still have to get the important stuff done. It is hard. But, it is what we do.

Why is this important? It is important because things will always be difficult. Days will not go the way we expect. “Responsibilities” will get in the way of goals. It will be hard, but that is the stuff we do.

I am 84 days into my 100 Day Strong journey. I refuse to quit my goal. So, after I finish here at the church (musical rehearsal) I will get to the gym. I most likely won’t get into bed until after 11. It will be worth it.

What goal are yo working on now? Do you persist when it gets hard? How do you keep going?