The Possibilities Are Endless
Happy Easter!!
Years ago, I remembered hearing the story of Roger Bannister. Many of you will know the story, but for those who don’t, Roger was the first person to run a mile in under four minutes. He set the record in May 1954, at a time of 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. The previous world record had been unbroken for about nine years, and sportswriters claimed that a sub-four-minute mile was an impossibility. Roger made the impossible possible! However, the record was broken just 46 days later, and today the record is 3 minutes 43.13 seconds.
The point is that if we think something is impossible, it usually is until someone or something proves that it is not. When our perception of that thing changes, our actions toward it change. This is particularly true of limitations we put on ourselves.
There are many things that are commonplace today that were once thought impossible, and there will be many more to come. The future is indeed bright when it comes to science and technological advances, but what about us? What are our possibilities?
To answer that question, we have to consider things considered impossible that need to happen for us to live fulfilling and meaningful lives. We can only glean so much satisfaction from careers, hobbies, money, and things. When we reach plateaus in life, we find the view from the top is not what we expected, and we realize more is possible. We also realize that things we once thought meaningful are not.
We may begin to think that true meaning, happiness, and joy are impossibilities. Life becomes more precious when you or your loved ones get older and think more about mortality. This is worldly thinking, and it is troubling.
But, there is hope!
The Savior said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). In the context of this message, the Savior is saying that the impossibilities the world presents us with have been overcome, leaving our possibilities endless.
This past week, I have been trying to think about Jesus the way someone would who does not consider him as being the Son of God. The historical Jesus proved many things possible that people then thought or now think are impossible. He healed the sick, caused the blind to see, the lame to walk, and raised the dead in front of so many witnesses that even his enemies could not deny.
But it wasn’t just him that did those things. His disciples did those things and more, just as he showed them and told them they could. Jesus showed us how to serve, forgive, perform miracles, and much, much more. Think of the possibilities!
Just like Roger Bannister proved that breaking the four-minute mile is possible, Jesus proved that it is possible to overcome death itself. Because we know that resurrection is possible, we understand that the relationships that mean the most to us do not end at death, and we act differently, and we know that what we do matters.
Because Jesus did what he did, we can trust the promises he made to us. All we have to do is follow him. The possibilities truly are endless.