Don't Give Up!
All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 1 Corinthians 9:25-26 (NLT)
As a teacher, I'm constantly reminding my students of the reasons "why" it's essential for them to learn. If students don't see the value in a given topic, their effort often diminishes; they have more difficulty overcoming challenges if the relevance or purpose isn’t clear. The "why", gives them the foundation they need to persevere when the learning gets tough.
Yet, as much as I teach the "why" to my students, I often forget the "why" as a Christian during the times when my life falls apart, pain ensues, and God seems to be MIA. Ever been there?
Perhaps you think you've heard God call you to something, yet roadblock after roadblock screams at you that you got it wrong.
Perhaps God opened the door to new opportunities for a business or career, yet hardship and problems run rampant, and you end up questioning God's faithfulness.
Perhaps the burden of constant anxiety weighs you down, and you wonder why God isn't taking it away.
When those days arrive and refuse to leave, it's the "why" that Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians that we desperately need to remember.
All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 1 Corinthians 9:25-26 (NLT)
Paul uses the metaphor of shadowboxing to illustrate that, unlike a shadow boxer, he's not throwing his arms around with no effect. Every hardship that he endures, every roadblock that he confronts, is for a purpose; each step is towards an everlasting prize and the promise of a royal destiny.
But Satan doesn't want us to win that prize, so he whispers lies to us that are so quiet we internalize them as truth.
I don't matter.
I must have gotten it wrong.
There's no point; I might as well give up.
God has abandoned and betrayed me.
Too often, those distorted thoughts become our identity. Yet, the Self-Awareness Theory in psychology tells us that we aren't our thoughts, but instead we are the vessel, the thinker, which is separate. This means that we can disconnect ourselves from Satan's lies. How do we do this? We create a plan to identify and overcome Satan's attacks.
The first step is to determine our warning signs. Warning signs describe the actions we take or don't take when Satan starts to whisper lies to us. Although this looks different for everyone, these signs will always lead to a behaviour change where we move away from God and towards our temptations. Examples of these behaviour changes might be avoiding reading the Bible, or starting to drink more.
Next, we need to establish the actions to take to get us back on track and stay in the race. Examples of these actions can be talking to a friend or spouse, or journaling. These actions will help us to clear our minds, process our thoughts, and make space for the truth to shine through.
When we have a plan and our "why" is illuminated, we can persevere, and like Paul, run the race with purpose in every step.
Don't give up. You are meant for royalty. The best is yet to come!