Competition can be difficult.

 

I think that many of us who have competed could say that some of our highest, and lowest, moments have happened in competition.

 

I know that in football, we literally put in blood, sweat, and tears……and to come up short can feel devastating.

 

But that is what it is all about.  It is where we learn to face our fears, our failures, and many of the obstacles that we will face in life.

 

And the failure piece is just as important as the success—if not moreso.

 

Learning to live with, and overcome, failure is so important.  Think about it with baseball: Many hall of fame players were .250 batters (or very close)…….which means they failed 75% of the time when they came to the plate!  Learning to deal with that failure, and coming back to fight again, is so important……perhaps the most important lesson that we can learn.

 

In an earlier blog, I referenced Luke 16…and in verse 3 the man says:  “I am not strong enough to dig and I am too proud to beg…” The man is examining his options:

  1. Beggar
  2. Digger
  3. Steward

 

Competitors are what that passage (Luke 16) would refer to as a “Digger”.  We cover every scenario. We work and toil. We eat and breathe our dream. And we live and die by our outcomes.

 

And when it all comes crashing down it all seems like such a waste…….

 

I can assure you today….it is not.

 

To the men and women out there who have come up short and wondered, I say two things:

 

  1. You Were Built To Reign.  Your desire to be the very best was put in you by the Lord.  He has wired you to seek to be the best. Romans 8 says that we are “MORE than conquerors” in Christ Jesus.  God tells us in 1 Corinthians 9:24 to run the race to win.
  2. Remember Who You Run For.  Without doing this, point 1 means nothing…..because our striving and working to reign, our desire to win, and our goal to be the best means nothing without the Lord.  He tells us in Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man.”  We are striving and working TO HONOR HIM…..not for ourselves. Not to beat someone else. Not so that we can stand on the throne.  Not so that we can be arrogant and better than those around us…..FOR HIM.

 

Now that is a good word.  

Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man.”

 

And in today’s society, we as Christians need to be modeling this.  We work HARD. We show up every day and put in a great effort. And we do it so that we can bring HONOR to the LORD.

 

He hasn’t made us champions so that we can take the credit….He has made us champions so that we can declare Him King.

 

Just like the end of the Lord’s prayer:

For Thine Is The Kingdom, And The Power, And The Glory Forever.  Amen.

 

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

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Coach J