Learn to embrace the challenges of life the way a downhill skeleton racer hits a wall when out of control, says Courtney. Relax, embrace the hit. Don’t steer away from the pain. Listen to the Lord.
While training to compete in the Olympics as a skeleton racer, Courtney learned there is nothing to protect the racer from the hard ice when careening out of control. “You hit an ice wall that feels like cement,” she said.
My coach told me when you see yourself coming into a curve at the wrong angle and you find yourself in a bad position, to relax, to sink into your sled, and embrace the hit. When you try to avoid or steer away from the wall, you actually drive yourself into it even harder. And it keeps you on the wall for longer. But if you embrace the hit, it can redirect you and put you on a smoother, straighter line and sometimes set you up for a better result in the end.
He taught me how to use the mistake.
Imagine that for a minute. When you find yourself in a difficult position or endure hardship, a loss, a divorce, failure, or a letdown, you can be redirected to a better outcome if you choose to listen and embrace the hit.
She said she found herself on her knees praying to Heavenly Father—wrestling for relief from the pain and hurt. “I felt like I was paddling in the deepest ocean and slowly drowning,” she said.
In response and over time, she learned to listen to the Lord. He showed her how to give her burden to Him and how to love others, even strangers. “All these things shall give thee experience,” she kept hearing in her soul.
“As I learned to embrace the hit, I learned that the greater the challenge, the greater the capacity for joy,” she says. “Trials are essential in order to experience the brightness of joy.”
"I chose to ask to see the Lord's hand in my life." He will show you, maybe not in the timing you want, but I assure you that He is aware of you and wants you to see His path and His plan. So listen, and embrace the hit.
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