Watching this year’s Women’s World Cup Finals, I
am struck again by the superhuman
stamina and strength of these soccer players.
They have to run for 45 minutes straight, are barely given a break, and then back out on the field to do it all again for another 45. And every year I think, “How do they prepare
themselves for all the various challenges they face in a match? How do they ready their bodies for the
strenuous abuse they place on them? How
do they build their strength to keep their muscles functioning for the long
kicks as well as for the blocks? How do
they train their minds to stay sharp, always ready for the opponent’s next
move? How do they stay confident and
positive that they can, not only play by the rules but, keep on playing when
their defeat may be imminent? I watch as
they bravely throw their bodies into the play, fall and get up again, slide and
bounce back into the game. How do they
do this without getting discouraged? How
do they keep on and not give up? The
players possess something that we all wish we had – faith that they are ready and trust that they're never alone.
There
were times when my life and my relationships were as tough as a World Cup
soccer match. I felt beaten up by
circumstances – some of which I brought on myself and some that were just part
of life. I got into bad relationships,
or I was bad at the relationship that I was in at the time. I was faced with unexpected decisions and with
decisions that were made for me that I had to endure. Regardless, I don’t think that I had prepared
myself the right way for the “long kicks,” the “falls,” and the slippery “slides”
that I underwent. I have always had faith, but I didn’t always have trust.
Growing
in our faith and trust in God is a lot like being in a World Cup Final. We do what we can to prepare ourselves. And we also seek supernatural Power to bring us the rest of what we need to be our best. It has been said (and attributed to several) that
we should work as if everything depends on ourselves and pray as though it all
depends on God.
Start today, if you
haven’t already, having a simple faith in the One that brought you into life, and then
trust that this same Loving One will not drop you into the game and then leave
you to fend for yourself. A “prayerful
heart” must first be desired, then trained, and then tested for its strength. It’s not always easy, but its joys are so
worth the effort! 💙
