While watching television on a recent Sunday afternoon, I was flipping through the channels and came across the Ironman Triathlon.

For those who do not know, a triathlon consists of three combined events. One begins the race by swimming 2.4 miles followed by 112 miles of biking. To cap it all off, the athlete finishes the triathlon by running a marathon. As I watched these professionals and a number of average everyday people attempting to complete this grueling race, I began to think to myself "I can do this." Even though my swimming trunks are now approaching 12 years old and I also do not actually own a bike, that still did not stop me from looking up a training program on-line to see what it would entail for me.

What really inspired me to even check out the possibility of competing in this race was listening to the stories of some of these athletes.

First, there was a man named Jon Blais. He was living a normal life until he found at the age of 34 that he was diagnosed with a progressive disorder of the nervous system called ALS or commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Once he was diagnosed, he wanted to bring attention to this disease in order to find a cure. As a result, he decided to train and thus completed this torturous competition even though the disease was already taking its toll on him.

The other story was about a father in his 60s and his son who is suffering from cerebral palsy. After a benefit run where the father, Dick Hoyt, ran five miles while pushing his son Rick in a wheelchair, his son told him that when they were running, he did not feel like he had a disability. As a result, his father decided to participate in more races including the Ironman Triathlon. Since his son could not actually swim, bike, or run, this father completed the triathlon by swimming the 2.4 miles with a harness around him, which pulled a raft carrying his son, followed by riding his bike with his son sitting in the front seat, and then finished the feat by running a marathon while pushing a stroller carrying his son.

The fact of the matter is that we are all capable of doing extraordinary things with our lives. We can attain achievements far greater than we could ever imagine for ourselves. Sadly, it seems that all of us wait until tragedy hits before we realize what we are capable of accomplishing in our lives.

Why is it that the young man had to wait until he was diagnosed with ALS to do the extraordinary and finish a triathlon? Or why does it take having a son with cerebral palsy in order for him to do the unthinkable and complete the Ironman for two?

The same can be asked of us, too. Why does it take a loved one to be bedridden to find out that one is capable of giving an abundance of time in order to help another person? Or why does it take mounting hospital bills for a sick child to realize that one is capable of giving an extraordinary amount of their money to help people have a chance at life?

God has called all of us to something more: He has called us to be an imitation of Christ and do the extraordinary. In the world today, there are people everywhere who are in need of a hero; they are in need of someone to do what seems to be impossible; they are in need of some glimmer of hope.

Who are we not to at least put ourselves totally out there willing to try to make a difference in the world and in the life of another person?

Always remember that all things are possible with God. Maybe someday you can do the extraordinary like Jon Blais or Dick and Rick Hoyt and inspire others to live their life extraordinarily for another and be an imitation of Christ.