Don't let your challenges challenge your limits!!

Several months back I went to a exhibit up in Salt Lake called "Dreamathon." They had different artists of all ages painting lockers and murals - every room of the exhibit had a different theme.  One room was of different athletes and sports.  At this time, my knee was probably in the best shape it'd been in a long time. My femur surgery had been a huge success. I was all healed and feeling very excited. On the walls of the exhibit, I read:

" DONT LET YOUR CHALLENGES CHALLENGE YOUR LIMITS."  - Travis Pastrana 

Travis Alan Pastrana is an American motorsports competitor and stunt performer. He has had crazy injuries including a dislocated spine, he has torn his ACL, PCL, LCL, MCL and meniscus in his left knee, broken his tibia and fibula, he’s had surgery on his left wrist twice, left thumb once, two surgeries on his back, one on his right elbow, nine on his left knee, six on the right knee, one shoulder surgery which left him with the only piece of metal he has in his body. You could say he is a bit crazy!  A cool crazy!  Injury after injury has not stopped him.

On my project happiness board, someone wrote the word: STRENGTH. Strength is the quality or state of being strong.  Think about that for a minute: the quality or state of being strong.  The last couple of months I have seen myself several times getting frustrated, upset, depressed, angry, and down about not being able to do the things I want like riding my bike more, playing basketball, walking up and down the stairs, or even just walking to my car.  I started getting frustrated when I would hear others talk about what they couldn't do for a period of time because of an injury. I started kind of boiling up inside, wanting to say: "I will never be able to do those things! Be grateful!" Yesterday, I took a step back and started studying strength, and alongside it, peace. I came to the realization that of all the things that have brought me strength, the greatest is God. I know I have a Savior that bled from EVERY pore, he has felt EVERY pain I've ever felt, and he has felt that despair and sadness I've felt.  

2 Nephi 22:2

" Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation." 

I feel that strength from him but what do I do when those thoughts of anger or despair come in..... what do I do? 

Psalms 34:14 

"Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace and pursue it."  

We all make mistakes every day, but aside from those mistakes, we also have thoughts that we can't do something, that we are worthless, that we are not good enough, that we are a hopeless case. Those are evil thoughts that we need to depart from. They don't come from a God that is our LOVING Father. They come from someone that wants you to think your challenges will stop you from pursing something good.  Yes, we all have our limits, we all have our weaknesses, but we also all have strength in us. I know I have weakness and limitation, but I also know I can do so much! So tell that little pessimistic voice in your head to back off!  Here are a few pictures I wanted to share with how I feel I've pursued what I want to do and how I've learned what strength is. 

This is one my best friends Rachel Stratton. She has brain cancer. After she finished her treatment, we went to Disneyland. The Doctors gave her 9 months and next month she will have gone 2 years.  She has been the biggest example in my life that I can do hard things.  She lives her life and doesn't let her challenges challenge her limits. She has an amazing story.www.prayersforrachel.com

This was us at Disney - rollin it. Yes we had wheelchair races and Rachel really kicked my butt! 

 This is the bike I got last summer. I've never had good balance so I wasn't able to ride a bike.  I was always a little embarrassed about it, but then last summer I decided "Meh! Who cares! I'm gonna buy me this sweet bike!" Don't let your challenges challenge your limits. 

This is also one of my best friends Mic Fortie ( aka Michelle) five months ago she got in an accident and broke her back. Both of us love being active and doing crazy things like high rope swings, so last weekend we went to an epic rope swing.  For me it was too hard to get up to the level with my knee popping out and the impact on her back would be too much, so we decided to take a picture in front of it and show that rope swing that we would be back next year!  Don't let your challenges challenge your limits.

Here is my left-handed guitar. With Cerebral Palsy usually one side of the body is weaker then the other. with my old guitar I would get frustrated because my hand would spasm out or not move much to let me play my guitar so I got a left handed guitar this last christmas and Ive been slowly learning. Dont let your challenges challenge your limits

 Mud volleyball. I couldn't walk around in it, so I had friends by my side to help me walk. My contribution to the game was my serves. We scored 4 points with those serves fyi:)  

Then, last but not least, me jamming and rocking to my cassette player with my swag walker ;) 

I share these because I want people to know that regardless of the challenge you have, we can all challenge ourselves. Don't give up on yourself because of a limitation you may have. Just as real as that limitation, is your inner strength to challenge it.