Faith Pushes Forward

Meet my friend, Lawrence. Lawrence is a regular at the gym I belong to. Because he rolls around the gym floor, from machine to machine in his wheelchair, he is someone you cannot walk by without noticing. He is a social guy who loves interacting with everyone around him. If you just so happen to stroll through the gym one day, I wouldn't put it past him if he recognized you with a friendly smile paired with an encouraging, "Hello. How are you?" before you had a chance to acknowledge him in passing. It wasn't until I recently asked him that I heard the story of inspiration behind his larger than life smile.

A few years back, Lawrence, once known for body building, was driving with some friends through town. On what was supposed to be a normal day, he and his friends all of a sudden found themselves victims to a drive-by shooting. An apparent gang initiation, Lawrence remembers ducking for his life while reaching across from the passenger's seat to steer for his unconscious friend who had been shot. It was during the disaster, in the middle of all the chaos that he remembers experiencing a bullet to the head; an unfortunate event that would change his life as he knew it forever.

With multiple surgeries, months of being bed-ridden, and having to be nursed back to health from skin and bones, it's taken more than a physical therapist to pull him through. Lawrence is the first to acknowledge that he was in the right place at the right time. You see, he found faith in the Lord through the recovery process. With the bullet still in his head, Lawrence repeatedly states that God has saved his life. It has been a long journey for Lawrence. He has pushed the limits, exceeded personal expectations and continually conquers his goals. From the ICU gurney to the gym floor, he has managed to keep his faith through it all; realizing that he has what it takes to move forward.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV)

When faced with life challenges, like Lawrence, it takes more than a sensible system or series of therapeutic events to move you forward. It takes faith. And we all have equal opportunity faith. My situation may not be identical to what you're dealing with, and your challenge may not be equally as difficult as that of someone else, but we are all faced with obstacles and challenges that require faith to survive. Faith is to believe it before you see it. Faith is being confident with hope, knowing ahead of time the evidence that is not yet seen will eventually be seen. Faith is acknowledgment not based on verifiable proof. Faith is to trust in and rely on another's ability to see it through. With faith, obstacles can be seen as opportunities. So my question to you is this: What do you have faith for?

I want to encourage you to push your limits, exceed all personal expectations, and conquer your goals. What you wholeheartedly believe will either fuel you forward or hold you back so don't doubt. Don't allow yesterday's drive-by debilitate you from reaching your fullest potential. The enemy would love to watch you shot down and defeated with doubt but with faith, the bullet that tried to paralyze you can become the testimony and power that progressively pushes you through every problem. Realize that with faith you have what it takes.

Together we can make it a great day!
Rev. Ryan Bunbury