Mark 4:17 (NLT), “But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.”
I love how sports continuously parallels real life in so many ways. This weekend I watched my wife’s girls youth hockey team compete in a tournament. Their performance in the tournament showed the ups and downs we each face in everyday life. The outcome of each of these games was in their control, just like the outcome of your life is in your control.
The first game they did not perform their best and truly let an opportunity pass them by. They were not prepared to play the game at the level they needed to play to win. How many times in our lives have we let an opportunity God has placed in front of us slip by because we weren’t ready? I can tell you it happened many times to me. The key question when an opportunity is missed is how are you going to respond to it? Are you going to put your head down and become depressed about it? Or are you going to prepare yourself for the next opportunity?
The second game of the tournament was against a much tougher opponent. So opportunity knocked again and this time the girls answered. Now they didn’t come away with the win but they gave 100% effort and played a determined game. They were mentally and physically ready to play. In life when we God gives you a second chance this is how you are to respond. Seize the opportunity and give it your all regardless of the outcome.
The third and final game was a thing of beauty. Seizing upon the momentum from the second game the girls came out and had a resounding victory. Because they had the right attitude after the opening game loss they were able to continuously improve their play and ultimately gain the prize of a victory. Their never give up attitude made all the difference in their play.
This is how God calls us to be in our lives. When faced with difficultly we are not to shy away and give up. That plays right into the hands of the enemy. You are to pick yourself up, learn from the difficult situation, fight back and gain the victory God has waiting for you. Don’t let life’s difficulties scare you to the point you stop trying. No matter the difficulty always remember God wants you to be victorious in life but you have to keep fighting. You have to persevere! The opportunities will come, make sure you are ready!
Truth In Love! ~ Chuck