It was the second day of a TWELVE WEEK bootcamp.  We had been through a half hour of leg-day stations and then we went outside to run suicides.  Needless to say, I was done!  What more could I do?  I was dripping sweat and my body was shaking.  Suddenly I hear, “back inside for another round!”  I wanted to fall down on the ground.  I wanted to scream.  Even worse, I wanted to cry.  Perhaps somewhere deep inside I did cry.  We went back inside, I took a sip of water, and I walked back to my first station.  I heard myself say out loud, “I don’t think I can do this.”   At that very moment the clock was counting down.

THREE…I’m in pain; I’m not gonna make it.

TWO…I can’t even see straight.

ONE…Let me at least try.

I remember once hearing someone say that often times we can’t wait to get motivated in order to start.  Instead, we have to start in order to get motivated.  I definitely wasn’t motivated, so I was just going to have to start.

And start I did.  Before long, I wasn’t at station one; I was at station 3, 4, 5 and so on.  I literally had to talk my way through each station.

“Imma keep running cause a winner doesn’t quit on themselves.” -Beyoncé

Yes, I have to keep it real, my first thought went to Beyoncé.  She was talking about running a race after all.

I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve been in the middle of something, and I’ve had to talk myself out of quitting.  And can I tell you that I have never regretted not quitting.

Just like the work that I put in during boot camp, God rewards us for the work that we do for Him.  His Word says, “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:7).

I truly believe the only reason I survived that workout was because of the words that I was speaking to myself and my belief in the reward to come.

I encourage each of us to speak kindly to ourselves and each other.  God loves you so much, so why shouldn’t you love you? Speak life over yourself and your situations.  Stay focused on your goals.  When it gets hard, and it will sometimes, push harder.  The reward is coming, but only if we don’t quit!