Patti Burris

Kiowa is my 22 year old daughter. Kiowa has never been one to turn down a challenge and she has never been one to quit, even when the road got rough, she was always determined to follow through. She ran her first half marathon when she was 14. She finished in the top 4% out of 35,000 runners. By the time she was 18, she had run 6 half marathons and she finished her first marathon just 2 weeks before her 18th birthday. She finished that marathon just 8 minutes shy of qualifying for the Boston marathon. Running these races always took months of training. I remember the pain, the ice baths, and pulling her in the driver’s side window of the car when a dog started chasing her on a training run. Even in 0 degree weather, with ice on the ground, she ran. She never gave up. She never quit. It was the same way, when she was preparing to enter the Air Force. She was scared. Her nerves were on edge. She wasn’t sure if it was the right thing, but when she made up her mind to do it, that was it. When we dropped her off at the hotel, the night before she left for basic training, she had tears in her eyes. We all did. When the time came to say good-bye, she squared her shoulders and walked down the hall, never looking back. We knew she wanted to run. We could tell. But, she didn’t. She followed through.

How many times have I started something, just to back out when the going got rough? To many times to count. I always have some excuse not to follow through. I can’t do this anymore. I have to start following through. No more excuses. When I don’t follow through, I could be missing out on God’s blessings and I will never know it. Not that my life is bad, it isn’t, but could it have been more, if I had followed through on some of the things that I quit? Did I settle for mediocrity because I quit?

From now on, when I know God is leading me in a certain direction, I will follow through. Even when it involves change. I know it may cause discomfort, but where God leads, I must follow. I am taking a lesson from my amazing daughter. I will NOT quit!

I am challenging you to follow where God leads, even when change causes discomfort. Follow through! Do not quit! Do not miss the blessing that God has in store for you. Do not let the rough patches cause you to back out on what God needs you to do. Do not settle for mediocrity! Trust God’s plan for you and follow through.  Don’t look back. Keep your eyes on what’s ahead of you.