The world has such a flair for winning!
When a runner crosses the finish line first....there are cheers and a medal.
When a boxer wins with a knockout....there is a championship belt.
When a politician wins the election...there is party and victory speech.
We love to win.
We love how it feels.
When Shep and I sit and cheer on our Georgia bulldogs...we enjoy the wins even though all we did to contribute was watch and yell!!
Winning feels great! The adrenaline is pumping. You can't help but smile from ear to ear. Somehow current difficulties seem to vanish in light of what has been accomplished. The load feels lighter. The air seems sweeter. The outlook is brighter.
Oddly, or maybe in drastic contrast....God's form of winning doesn't always FEEL like a win.
There may not be an immediate smile.
The difficulties may still weigh heavily.
The load is pressing in.
The air seems stale and stagnant.
The outlook still bleak.
Almost two days have passed since posting my last blog.
Whew...it was a rough time.
(I so appreciate those of you who texted me with words of encouragement. Being my friend can be a rough undertaking. The brave few have lasted. Some of the most self-less people I know.)
Anyway, God has since shown me that I won that day.
Or actually...He won.
Dang! It didn't feel like it. There were no cheers. No victory speeches. No sudden change.
My form of winning didn't look like "a win" at all.
It looked more like standing. I just stood still. I refused to move although I badly wanted to. So I stood. I declared my trust. I declared my hope. Then I fell into bed. Exhausted but victorious still.
I didn't take the posture of former days.
That was the win.
Despite how I felt. Despite how things looked. Despite how dim the future seems in this area....I chose to trust. I did not cover up the real-ness of it. I didn't understate the weight of how things really felt.
I drew near to Him.
I chose to cling.
So the victory was mine.
Angels rejoiced over the progress in this girl's life. My friend, Jesus, lifted my head and held me in the refuge of His arms.
Matthew 10:39 "Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it."
3 comments:
PRAISE THE LORD!!! I can get up.
I am as type A personality as they come! I love to win! But, as you know, what we call winning and what God calls winning is not always the same!
I'm always haunted by the words in Sandy Patti's song Upon This Rock; "If you would choose to lose when you could win."
Great post young lady!
Yes God won....for You! Our short time together that day was like many others, we cried and later we laughed. We had reason for both. Nothing changed then but one thing has remained, we did it together. I will claim the promises He has given us for Caroline's healing for all of my days or until the day it happens. With you...Mom
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