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I remember when I was on the Junior High Track Team at Trident Jr. High School in Anaheim, CA. I was scheduled
to run the 220 Yard Dash against competitors from Fremont Jr. High in Downtown Anaheim. I was so anxious to get into those
starting blocks, I didn't realize that I had forgotten to take off my sweat tops. There was a Santa Ana wind blowing. When
the starting gun went off, and I pushed off those starting blocks into the Santa Ana Wind blowing against me, the sweat tops
had a parachute effect, and their were wind resistent currents blowing up my front, my back, and both my sides, which slowed
me down immensely. When I finally reach the finish line in last place, I had ended up in another lane, so if I had placed
in that race, I would have been disqualified.
When we as Christians are running the Race for God as mentioned in Hebrews, sweat
tops can come in many forms, all encouraged by Satan, as these are anything that "Slows us down" in reaching the goals
God has set for us, and even causes us to drift onto another path other then the one God has laid in front of us to follow.
In my case, sweat tops are often my worries over society's perceptions of people who are different--worrying about
how society perceives me instead of how God perceives me. I can sometmies think that God will not use my gifts (public speaking
and singing) because Society will not permit it, because I am different. It becomes very easy to drift over onto another
path, other than the one He wants me to take. That is when I need to "Throw off these particular sweat tops" so I can
stay focused on God's Will, knowing that God overcomes all obstacles, including ones society's ignorance may
throw in my way. I still quite often have struggles in this area; but, God always has a plan for my life and for the gifts
he has given me, and as long as a throw off my sweat tops, strive to run the Race for God, no obstacles will stand in my way.
Rising above Tourette Syndrome = Throwing of my sweat tops, and running the Race for God!
--Bill Baxter
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