BEATEN because she couldn’t see the goal

The California coast was shrouded in fog the morning of 4th July 1952. Twenty one miles to the west, on Catalina Island, a 34 year old woman waded into the water and began swimming toward California, determined to be the first woman ever to swim the strait.

She was Florence Chadwick.

She had already set the world record for swimming the English Channel in 13 hours 20 minutes, and was the first woman to swim it in both directions.

The water was numbing cold that morning and the FOG was so thick that Chadwick could barely see the boats in her escort. The hours ticked by and she swam on. Fatigue had never been a serious problem, but the bone-chilling cold of the water was threatening. More than fifteen hours later, numbed with the cold, she felt she couldn’t go on and asked to be taken out. Her mother and her trainer, in the boat that drew alongside, urged her to continue, as they sensed they must be getting close to shore.

All Chadwick could see was the water around her
and the dense fog.
She was lost in the fog, unable to concentrate,
and she was taken out of the water.

Later, as they realised she had been within a half mile of the shore,
she blurted out
“I’m not excusing myself,
but if I could have SEEN the shore,
I know I could have made it”
The fog had made her unable to see her goal,
and it had felt to her like she was getting nowhere.

Two months later, she tried again. The fog was just as dense, but this time she kept the goal in her mind, and she made it. After 13 hours, 47 minutes, and 55 seconds, she reached the California shore, breaking a 27-year-old record by more than two hours and becoming the first woman ever to complete the swim.

Florence Chadwick had been licked,
but not by the cold or even by exhaustion.
She was beaten by the FOG which had OBSCURED HER GOAL.
It had blinded her eyes and her reason.

Colossians 3:2 (AMP)
Set your minds and keep them set on what is above
– the higher things – not on the things that are on the earth

Hebrews 12:1b-2a
Let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence
the appointed course of the race that is set before us,
looking AWAY FROM all that will distract TO JESUS,
who is the Leader and Source of our faith and is also its Finisher

As Christians, we must be careful not to allow ourselves to be blinded by other matters and prevented from reaching our goals.

What “fog” is blocking your vision of God’s goal for you?

• His ETERNAL GOAL for you – to be conformed to the image of Christ?
• His PRESENT GOAL for you – His plan and purpose to use you to reflect Him to others?
• His PRESENT GOAL for you – to use you in His chosen area in His service?

 
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