Early in the spring, I had the opportunity of interviewing Laureus “Sport for Good” Ambassador Grant Lottering. After reading about his extraordinary story, I was curious to meet the man who escaped death.

While training for the 2013 World Masters Championship in Italy, Lottering was pronounced dead after a horrific accident. He was revived on the scene and taken to the local hospital, where doctors worked strenuously to save his life. For the next 12 months, Lottering underwent 11 surgeries, only to receive a bleak cancer diagnosis shortly afterward.

By all accounts, Lottering should not be alive. And yet, not only did he survive against all odds, but only a year after the accident, he was back on his bike and working. He founded “Im’Possible Tours,” a nonprofit focused on raising funds for underprivileged children. This year, his tours support and raise awareness for Laurel’s “Sport for Good,” an organization that uses sports as the central means to combat youth violence, discrimination and disadvantages.

While talking to Lottering, it became evident that his faith was the bulwark that protected him and the engine that propelled him through a trial that would indeed have rendered many people utterly defeated.

During the long months of hospitalization, incredible pain and uncertainties, he made a deliberate effort to focus on God’s power and the times he delivered him in the past. Lottering kept looking back to move forward – a recipe well-known to believers who have faced fear and doubts while going through valleys.

Lottering kept looking back to move forward – a recipe well-known to believers who have faced fear and doubts while going through valleys. @MGLottering @AJC #Moveforward
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Not long ago, I recalled my conversation with Lottering while reading through the sixth chapter of the gospel of St. Mark. It is undoubtedly one of the most well-known passages of the New Testament, where we find two of Jesus’ most outstanding miracles in scriptures.

After a most extraordinary event, when the master fed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, the Bible says that he “immediately made his disciples get into a boat a go ahead of him to the other side of Bethsaida, (…)” while he left for the mountain to pray.

While in the boat, the disciples encountered a massive storm. Jesus saw that his friends were struggling and afraid and therefore came to their rescue, walking on water. It was miracle number two in less than 24 hours. Instead of feeling relief, fear overtook the disciples and completely blinded them. They did not recognize the master. Ultimately, Jesus got into the boat, and the wind stopped.

The sentence in the chapter that follows the incident gives me pause: “(the disciples) were utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.”

It’s astonishing that the men following Jesus and witnessing his power for years had not gained any insight from the miracle that had just happened ashore, only hours before. Instead of anchoring their hearts on what Jesus had done in the past, they allowed fear to take over and became afraid.

Lottering is one example of a believer who conquered the impossible by focusing on God’s promises and his record of deliverance in the past instead of the storm that circled him. He overcame not because of his strength but because he kept his eyes on his master, believing there would be a purpose for his trial. He reminded his heart that the God who showed up numerous times in his past was the same who would walk him through the next chapter of his life victoriously.

Focus on God’s promises and his record of deliverance in the past instead of the storm that circles you. @MGLottering @AJC #MondayMotivation #Moveforward
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May Lottering’s story of victory through persevering faith, contrasted with the disciples’ memory lapse, inspire us to remember to “look back to move forward,” lest we become defeated by our trials instead of sensitive to the voice who longs to bring purpose from every pain.

This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday, July 30th, 2022. Click HERE to find it on the AJC’s website.

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The post Looking Back to Move Forward {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

I shook my head in disbelief as I read the news shared in the group text.

A dear friend is fighting for her life at the hospital, and as I reached out to my close friends to ask for prayers, they shared about two other acquaintances from my previous church who are also in critical condition.

My heart sank. These friends did not have any known health concerns until a couple of weeks ago. They are full of life, still young, and some of the godliest people I know.

Since then, my friends are constantly in my mind and prayers. Their families’ lives have turned upside down with a phone call, and I know what they’re going through all too well. I can’t do anything about their tragedy, but I can undoubtedly touch heaven for them as I pray for healing, peace, comfort, and strength for their families.

I believe one of the hardest things when tragedies strike, is to try to understand why God allows them. Tragedy never makes sense. Why does a newborn die? Why are hospitals filled with young children fighting cancer? Why is my beautiful, bigger-than-life friend fighting for her life? Why did my brother-in-law’s plane crash on that sunny day ten years ago? Why?

I believe one of the hardest things when tragedies strike, is to try to understand why God allows them. @AJC #Tragedy #loss #faith
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We hopelessly try to wrap our minds around tragic events, hoping to find meaning in the seemingly meaningless, trying to keep our faith in a God that allows tragedy to happen.

The Apostle Paul wrote about that persevering faith in his letter to the Romans when he penned down one of the most repeated verses in the New Testament:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Hindsight is 20/20, and indeed, those who have pressed on through trials by faith, trusting God even when life does not make sense, can testify to having found hope and purpose from their deepest valleys.

Hindsight is 20/20, and indeed, those who have pressed on through trials by faith, trusting God even when life does not make sense, can testify to having found hope and purpose from their deepest valleys. @AJC #faith #loss #tragedy
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Many are the men and women who have started foundations to help people who suffer from the same disease that killed their loved ones. Many are the people who have helped others walk through the shadows of divorce, financial loss, and death because of their personal experiences in the valley. Like me, many are those who understand the pain of a cancer diagnosis or a loved one’s sudden death.

Empathy is a beautiful thing. Humanitarian efforts would not be the same were it not for the empathy that only personal pain can bring. There is a purpose for each tragedy – if only to make us more human, more sensitive to our fellow men’s suffering, mold us and make us living proofs that God can turn our ashes into something beautiful.

There is a purpose for each tragedy – if only to make us more human, more sensitive to our fellow men's suffering, mold us and make us living proofs that God can turn our ashes into something beautiful. @AJC #faith #loss #tragedy
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The challenge is to keep pressing on by faith, never giving up on God, trusting that he is still good, even when the worst happens. Because, at the end of the day, if we trust that our God is indeed good, then we can affirm that he will make everything work together for our good and his glory. It’ll be for our good when our lives gain a new purpose because we suffered. It’ll be for his glory when others see his love reflected in the gestures of our hands and in the love that we extend to our hurting neighbors.

Pray for those who suffer. Reach out to those going through that all too familiar valley you have traveled before. Love them. Encourage them. There’s a reason for your paths crossing. If only so that you pray with the passion of a heart that has walked that same valley and landed safely on the other side by God’s grace.

Did this article touch your heart? Would you like to share your experience with me or ask me to pray for you? Please send me an email at pholbrook@soaringwithhim.com or write a comment below, and I promise to write back!

This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday, May 21st, 2022. Click HERE to find it on the AJC’s website.

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The king continued walking through his garden, dismayed by its desolate state, when he came across a small violet. Its tiny frame was beautifully bright and full of life. The king told the small flower: “You look radiant! You don’t seem to be the least disheartened about the misery and discouragement around you.” The violet replied: “No, I am not. I know I’m small, yet, I imagine that if you wanted an oak tree or a pine tree where I am, you would have planted one. Since I know you wanted a violet, I am determined to be the very best violet I can be.”

This allegory gives me pause. It makes me think of how much time and energy we waste wishing for something we cannot attain, or striving to be someone we were never meant to be. We hear stories of beautiful women who submit themselves to excruciatingly painful procedures to change their body’s shape. We watch as people’s faces become deformed because they cannot accept aging as a natural process of life. We hear about young teenagers who starve themselves in an attempt to look like celebrities and models on magazines. We witness preachers striving to copy famous preachers, parents pushing their kids to the extremes of competition, and employees begrudging their peers for being promoted. Envy and jealousy sear in a society that insists on believing that the grass is always greener on the other side.

I can’t help but imagine God as the king in the story, sadly walking through his garden and watching his plants become gloomy and lifeless where he planted them. He watches as we sneer at his provision and his unique design for each of our lives, and as his work becomes repetitious and dull, rather than vibrantly unique.

It’s not that we shouldn’t strive to become better. I am certainly not against all plastic surgery, seeking better job opportunities or admiring those who are great examples of leadership for the work of the kingdom. We should indeed look at successful people and appreciate their unique virtues and, whenever their success is more than skin deep, even look up to them as great examples to follow. But the issue becomes when we are so engrossed comparing ourselves to others and desiring their shade of glory, that we forget that God has a unique plan for each one of us, and that our job is to be the very best we can be, wherever he plants us.

It’s true — the happiest, most successful and fulfilled human beings are those who embrace their uniqueness, play on their strengths and find contentment wherever God places them. Whether as a mighty oak tree or a small violet planted on the corner of the garden, their secret is accepting themselves and their place of service with grateful hearts, remembering that if and when God wants them to bear fruit elsewhere, he will make provision to move them to a broader field.

Patricia Holbrook is a Christian author and national conference speaker. Her book, “Twelve Inches: Bridging the
Gap Between What You Know About God and How You Feel,” is available on Kindle, at Barnes and Nobles, Amazon and other retailers. Visit her website at www.soaringwithhim.com Email: pholbrook@soaringwithHim.com

The post Comparison – Joy and Purpose Killer {Atlanta Journal Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.