Gumption
I have been wanting to highlight my friends’ wisdom for months now. After reading this piece, I just had to ask my friend Sara Hageman for her permission to excerpt and post it. I hope her words inspire and bless you as much as they do me!
One day, I sat down in front of the tv as the beauty of the Big Island of Hawaii drew me into the show I’d tuned into.
There were men and women competing in one of the most challenging physical feats in individual sports, The Iron Man. I was amazed by the fortitude and strength of each person they interviewed, and utterly inspired.
My husband was just as amazed by the remarkable stories of cancer survivors that now complete the Iron Man every year. As the show ended, I looked at my husband and said, “You know, you could do that.”
The very next day he went down to the beach to swim and within a few weeks, he had invested in a road bike, running shoes and goggles. He began dreaming of the race and hearing his name at the end of the marathon run, “Chris Hageman, You are an Iron Man.” He started sharing his dream with friends and suddenly, someone offered to coach him in swimming. Our son owns a coffee shop that sponsors bike races, and he offered to sponsor my husband. My son sent him a new watch that gives him all the stats on his run, bike and swim. We have another friend who offered to coach him on his bike. Someone else sent him a gift card for his birthday to Road Runner, so he got new running shoes.
I love my beautiful friend Genta. While sharing about the upcoming “Pedal for the Cause” event she’s a part of, she said, “I may look like Workout Barbie, but I’m not!” Hahahaha...that cracked me up! Well, if Genta looks like Workout Barbie, I’m her shorter, and a bit more rounded friend, “Loves to Eat Ice Cream” Skipper. I love hearing heroic stories and reading all about amazing feats. It stirs me up when I read stories of great men, women, and children who have made what was once impossible a victory. But I must admit that I lack gumption at times. I find it challenging to start because if I am completely honest, I procrastinate.
The only thing standing between me and my dreams is GUMPTION! Gumption is defined as “shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness.” What we dream, we begin to live out in our speech, our thought lives, and our actions. When we believe and invest in our dreams, the resources to fulfill them are drawn to us just like they were with my husband as he dreamt about doing an Iron Man.
So what is it that keeps the rest of us from our fulfilling our dreams? This is the question I‘ve been asking myself over the past few weeks. The answer, I’ve come to realize, lies in what we choose to believe.
Does God love me? Do I have a destiny? Am I created for greatness? Can I have a vibrant life? What do I have to do to get there?
How we answer these questions determines our destiny, compelling us to either take the bull by the horns, or wait for the change we’ve dreamt of to miraculously happen. Between these two choices lie a plethora of actions and beliefs that either instill courage or fear in us. Fortunately, as my friend Sue says, we can be scared but still choose to “do it afraid.” We ultimately choose whether we will move toward our dreams, or run away from them. We decide whether we believe that we were created to fulfill our dreams - or not.
But the most exciting part of it all is that WE GET TO DREAM!
Our dreams, however big or small, will never fulfill themselves. It will take our strength and excitement, our courage and fortitude, our “yes” AND our “no” to bring our dreams to life. Just remember that God will send every single provision we need to accomplish our dreams along the way.
Procrastination, discouragement, fear, and the appearance of lack will meet each of us when we open our front doors in the morning. But as we turn our face up to Jesus, He will fill us full of gumption to propel us from our front porch, into our future! We were created to make our dreams come true. Holy Spirit is waiting to link arms with us to see them come to their complete fruition! His plans and our dreams are the boat we get into.
Gumption will keep us in the center of Dream River, so let’s meet at the edge of the water and wade out together!
- Written by Sara Hageman (on Instagram @mamasara7