"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." - Proverbs 11:30 (NIV)
I saw the frustrations on his face. A puzzled appearance the way his brows arched. He looked at his partner who had the same face. My son was playing tennis yesterday and they were ahead by 3 points to nothing. All of a sudden as if the wind blew against them, they started losing.
I saw the frustrations on his face. A puzzled appearance the way his brows arched. He looked at his partner who had the same face. My son was playing tennis yesterday and they were ahead by 3 points to nothing. All of a sudden as if the wind blew against them, they started losing.
“Mom, I don’t know what happened,” he whispered as he gave me a hug and saw me watching his matches.
“That’ s okay. You tried your best and that’s what’s important, same with your partner,” I replied and hugged him tight.
The match between the 2 teams lasted longer than expected. And the whole team from my son's school lost by 2 points margin.
This morning, as I talked with my son before going to school, I reminded him not to be discouraged. There are times when we are at the bottom of the wheel. Some days, we are on top. But it is in those times of being low when we are pushed to our limits, testing our patience and endurance.
“When you lose, you are being put under a lot of pressure,” I stated. “But you must never quit. How much pressure can you take?” I asked him.
“I’ll keep trying, Mom. And I do pray.”
“Okay, then, keep praying anyway. Pray for your partner, for the whole team and even for the other team. You know that with His strength, you can do it!”
I’m at the bottom of the wheel, too. As I fight against some people in power. I know that what they had been saying and doing is not right. But it’s not my time yet to say anything. For now, I’m learning to endure. It’s too much pressure and I feel like being crushed at the bottom. But I must learn how to endure, like what I tell my son. I know because he’s watching me, too. And as he watches me, so it is with others around us.
For life is not about winning or losing tennis matches. It’s not about me being right at work. Life is about winning souls for Christ. Souls who are watching and reading our character. Souls who are observing how we deal with stress and tremendous pressure. Souls who are hearing how we speak about things. We grow in character because He promises to be there during our times of trials.
" 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you." - 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (NIV)
