The heart of a champion

If you live in Australia, then you know that January is the season of tennis and cricket. As a young child, I grew up watching both of these sports because my parents love cricket and my grandma loves tennis. Australians can get very passionate when it comes to their sport and when the tennis and cricket are on at the same time there is often more battles in Australian households as to which one will be watched than in the actual game itself!

I have since inherited my grandmother’s passion for tennis and I am now an avid fan. I love it! And like any fan, I have my favourite players who I love to watch and barrack for and scream at the TV for in the comfort of my own lounge room!

But it is not just watching the player’s that I enjoy about tennis. It is the battle on the court that occurs during a good tennis match, as each player tries to outwit their opponent with agile thinking displayed fighting to hear the phrase after a long battle “game, set and match!”.  A good tennis match can have you glued to the screen, on the edge of your seat, screaming at the TV and clenching your hands as you see them fight it out. This year’s Australian Open Final was no exception. Although my favourite player was no longer in the tournament, I had to watch the final to see who would win the trophy. Who would win the Australian Open title after two long weeks of tennis and many matches fought and battled to advance to the final? Who would win the glorious title of Champion?

What many tennis fans witnessed that night of the final though was not a match about the glory of winning. It was not a match about who would win the battle of the mind. It was a match that displayed the glory of suffering. Rafael Nadal, current world number one in tennis, had been suffering from a lower-back injury that seemingly caused him to lose focus, lose energy, and at one point lose hope. At one point in the second set of the match, Nadal was teary as he seemingly lost the will even to try, serving haphazardly, making many faults and errors so much so that he looked as though he was going to quit and retire the match. Whether you are a Nadal fan or not, your heart had to go out to him as you looked on with each serve and each return and you watched a champion suffer.

However, Nadal did not quit. Something inside of him caused him to persevere. The heart of champion is definitely one who doesn’t give up even through pain and suffering. The heart of a champion is one who is inspired by something more than winning. Nadal fought through that entire match – blocking out pain, blocking out the crowd, blocking out the score on the board, blocking out the odds that he had already lost the championship. He fought.

And yes, he did lose the championship. But what he gained was the glory and respect from many who witnessed this man’s fight to the end of a tough match through the midst of suffering. My question is  - would Nadal have gone out onto that arena and entered that court and began that match, if he knew what was going to happen and if he knew the end result? If he knew he was going to suffer throughout the game, would he have played that day?

I believe the answer is yes. Because he has the heart of a champion.

Two great men of the faith, Paul and Peter, were both told by Jesus that they would suffer for his Name. In John 21:18, Jesus reveals to Peter how he will give up his life for the name of Jesus. In Acts 9:16, Jesus says of Paul “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Did Paul and Peter give up their battle to win hearts for Christ because they knew they would suffer?

No – because they had the heart of a champion. One champion inside them both, spurring them on.

They had the heart of Jesus, the ultimate suffering servant who came to glory, within them. Paul in fact states that he counts all his sufferings as loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ.

We also must suffer much. We are told in scripture that we must experience many trials and hardships to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22.) But Jesus said “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world.”

What enables us to persevere in the midst of suffering when everything looks lost, when the score on the board is dismal, and the will to keep trying is all but lost?

The heart of the champion, Jesus, inside of us…….

because he has already overcome the world.

The hope set before me

As my feet pounded the pavement with the sun beaming down on a hot January morning and sweat pouring down my forehead, I wondered if I could push through to the end. My goal, set before I headed off, was to run 5km in under 30 minutes. This goal - that I set for myself in the comfort of my own house in the cool of the bathroom as I dressed in my running gear - was before I experienced the heat of the morning.

I opened the door and it hit me. It was already 27 degrees at 7am in the morning. We were experiencing one of the several heatwaves our beautiful climate brings us each Summer. And after running for about 15min, my body was depleting in energy.

Furthermore, I realised I was suffering the consequences of a late night in getting to sleep. The exhaustion my body hid from me when I awoke to my normal alarm was now painfully screaming at me as I rounded up my third kilometre.

Could I go on? Could I push through to finish the 5km or should I just stop now? Or maybe I could just walk it. It wouldn’t be as satisfying as finishing the goal set before me but maybe that was ok.

Then I remembered….Hupomone.

A funny word to be popping into my head as I am running but a word that brings encouragement.

You see, Hupomone (hoop-oh-moan-ay) is the greek translation of perseverance. It is referenced in the bible when scripture encourages us to persevere in trials and sufferings. It is defined as “steadfastness, constancy, endurance,” and it is inspired by hope.

It is “the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings”.

Hupomone is enduring and persevering in our purpose because of the hope set before us. It is pushing through and remaining steadfast in the trials and sufferings.

“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” Hebrews 10:36

Hupomone is what enables us to see the hope set before us of the promises of God and seeing Jesus face to face and to persevere to the end to receive what is promised to us.

Hupomone is a characteristic that comes from Christ. The Lord directs our hearts into his love and into the steadfastness of Christ (2 Thess 3:5).

The steadfastness of Christ….

He who was not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to God by even the greatest trials and sufferings.

Oh to have our hearts directed to the steadfastness of this amazing Saviour. To have such love and loyalty to our Father God that we are not moved in trials and sufferings as we keep the hope of seeing him at the finish line greeting us with arms open wide.

If we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. (Romans 8:25)

And as I pushed through the final 2km of my run that morning, and reached my goal line at 28 minutes, I could see it. A tiny glimpse of the joy, the excitement , the glory of reaching the finish line of the end of my life having been loyal and steadfast to my God and seeing my Saviour face to face.

I only saw a tiny glimpse – but it is enough to give me the hope I need for the race set before me.

A Bigger Dream

Have you ever felt so lost within yourself that you don’t know who you are supposed to be anymore?

Maybe your soul is saddened because you can’t see any hope of your dreams becoming a reality?

Maybe you have dreams that you have hidden deep within your spirit so quietly kept inside you that you have never dared share them with anyone. Maybe they are dreams that you were so sure that God had given you that even though you have been patiently waiting for him to work his purpose out in you, the light at the end of the tunnel seems to have dimmed to blackness and you see no hope anymore of them coming true.  

Have you ever questioned God about your dreams and why they are not coming true?

Have you felt that maybe your dreams for yourself are bigger than what God has dreamed for you?

Job was living the dream. He was known throughout the land for his wealth and his greatness. He had sons, daughters, servants, land, and livestock. Then one day, it all came crashing down and he lost it all. Not only did he lose it all but he gained diseases, friends questioned him, and he experienced extreme loneliness amidst it all.

Job might have lost his children, his wealth, his dignity – but he didn’t lose his motivation and inspiration. How?

We discover in Job 23 that when Job could not see God or find God, he held on to the promise that God knows the way that he should take and that he will come forth as gold. He knew God had not lost him and had Hope that he would come forth as gold.

Job’s life and dreams were shattered beyond what any of us could imagine – yet he had HOPE.

What is our HOPE?

Romans 8:29 reminds us that we are being conformed to the image of his Son – through our trials we are going to come forth as gold, with the Son of God reflected through us. How are we being transformed into his likeness – by ever-increasing glory which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Cor 3:18).

Job’s ultimate hope gives us inspiration for a bigger dream. Job’s hope is revealed in Job 19 –

“I know that my redeemer lives,

and that in the end he will stand on the earth.

 And after my skin has been destroyed,

yet in my flesh I will see God;

 I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, not another.

How my heart yearns within me!”

Job’s earthly possessions and dreams for his earthly life did not compare to his ultimate dream of standing before God in all his glory and see him face to face.

This is our bigger dream!

Fixing our eyes on Jesus to run with perseverance the race set out before us means fixing our eyes on the heavenly dream and hope that we will one day see our Redeemer face to face. It might mean that some of the earthly dreams we have been holding on to must fall away, but in the end – this is the ultimate dream and hope for us to hold on to.

When you feel lost, sad or unsure if you will ever see any of your dreams come true, hold on to the motivation and inspiration of the hope of the promise that when you have done the will of God, when you have lived the faithful life and when you have done nothing else but stand firm in your faith – you will have the reward of the promise of God (Hebrews 10:35).

And one day you will stand before God in all his glory and see him face to face, having come forth as gold reflecting the image of the Son of God.

Now that’s a bigger dream!

Crossroads

Have you ever had to make a decision and not made the right one? You arrive at a crossroads and one path seems to be the right one, however, it turns out to be the wrong one.

My journey with God this week has been a little comical and also a huge life lesson for me. I have been doing a very in-depth bible study on David and this week’s theme was crossroads. I am thoroughly enjoying the study and going deeper with God –but I didn’t realize that I was going to get tested on it. It turns out that I had to sit a practical exam on the same topic I had been studying! I am sure it was to see whether I had actually learnt from study!

My bible study has been focusing on the story of David, Bathsheba and Uriah. A story where the man after God’s own heart is given a practical exam – and fails.

David – now King of Israel, successful in all he does and known across the land for his faithfulness to God comes to a crossroads in his life  - and he makes a bad choice. David, falls in love with Bathsheba and enquires after her. His advisor tells him that Bathsheba is the wife to Uriah – one of David’s mighty men.  Crossroad number one – David has the choice to pursue Bathsheba, or leave her alone. David’s desires get the better of him and he takes the path that leads to destruction.

When Bathsheba falls pregnant, David comes to his second crossroad – he has the choice to either tell Uriah or to deceive him. David not only tries to deceive Uriah, but when that doesn’t work, David organizes for Uriah to be killed.

David – when given a second chance to make the right choice, chose poorly. The consequences of David’s actions were grave and you can read about it in 2 Samuel 11 and 12.

This week, I came to a crossroads. I was presented with a choice and I ignored the little niggling voice in my head that was trying to direct me down the right path, and I chose the other path.

For three days I suffered with sleepless nights, guilt, and worry which all then had a flow on affect in my life. I decided to make it right. I decided to repent and choose the other path. Happy and peaceful in my decision, here came the comical part. Four days after I had made the wrong choice and gone down the wrong path and one day after my repentance and turning around to the right path – I was given the exact same practical exam again. I was given the exact same choice and the exact same crossroad that I had experienced four days before. But this time – I chose the right path. And I had peace.

My God – the God of second chances – had seen my repentant heart and had mercy on me. My God – the God of second chances – had offered me a do-over exam. My God – the God of second chances – had redeemed me and brought me peace and joy.

Each day in life, we come to crossroads. Whether these decisions are small – like what we are going to cook for dinner or large – where they affect our lives and the lives of those around us in a dramatic way, we all come to a time where we have to make choices.

The wrong path will lead us down a road of consequences that can emotionally, spiritually and physically affect us whilst the right path can lead us down a road of blessing that can emotionally, spiritually and physically uplift us.

The good news is – there is redemption. There are second chances. There is a God who loves mercy and who sees our hearts. Whilst man looks at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart and he will not turn his back on the repentant one.

This is the prayer that David prayed when his sin was revealed to him and this is the prayer I prayed this week:

Psalm 51

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

 

When you come to a crossroads – ask God to give you the wisdom and strength to make the right choice. And dear one – if you find yourself down the wrong path – trust in a God of second chances, call unto him to create a clean heart in you and to restore joy and peace. He won’t turn you away.

Extravagant Self-Sacrifice

 

“It is not a moral life that the gospel promotes –

 it is a life of extravagant self-sacrifice.”

 

These words have been resonating in my soul for over a week now. They were spoken at a conference I attended by Revd Dr John Dickson, who is an extraordinary communicator and the co-founder for Public centre for Christianity.

Extravagant self-sacrifice.

The word extravagant is defined as “exceeding reasonable bounds” and “extremely abundant.”

Responding to this call means that the gospel challenges us to sacrifice ourselves beyond what reason dictates as being normal and to do it abundantly.

A story that moved my heart this week was when I was having coffee with my friend, Renee, and she told me of a friend of hers who had experienced this extravagant self-sacrifice in such an amazing way that he knew it could only be the love of God and so gave his life to the Lord.

Renee told me that her friend was drawn to church one day in a state of hopelessness. He had lost everything he owned and had found himself homeless and lost as to what to do. When visiting this church, he shared with another man his state of despair and loss of hope. Responding in empathy, the man of God turned to Renee’s homeless friend and said “Take my home.”

Stunned and unsure as to how to respond, he looked at the man. “Pardon?”

“Take my home. God will provide for me and you are in need. Take my home and I will find somewhere else.”

This man was so moved by the extravagant self-sacrifice of this Christian man, he knew it could only by the love of God that would enable someone to give up their home and life as they know it for someone else.

Extravagant self-sacrifice.

This is what Jesus gave us. He saw us in despair, lost and in a pit of darkness. He had pity on us and he came to earth and said – Take my life.

Take my life for you are in need of hope. Take my life for you are in need of rescue. Take my life for you are in need of being saved.

It is the pure love of God that elicits extravagant self-sacrifice. And it is extravagant self-sacrifice that draws people to the pure  love of God.

The gospel does not ask us to live a good life. It does not ask us to live a moral life. It asks us to live a life of love….and extravagant self-sacrifice.

What do you see when you look at life- ANTs or Lace?

When you look at this picture, what do you see?

I was scrolling through my facebook last week and on my newsfeed, my friend Tonya Stone who is a brilliant photographer with her own business, Stone Creative Photography, posted this photo.
Before reading the caption my immediate thought was - why is she posting a photo of a leaf with holes in it?
Now obviously the leaf has been nibbled away at by a very hungry insect and I started questioning why Tonya had thought it was a cool thing to take a photo of this.

However...then I read the caption that Tonya had beautifully written alongside the photo:

 

"This delicate heart shaped leaf reminds me of lace. Spend time in nature and really look at the shapes, patterns and textures. There is beauty and love everywhere."

 

What an eye opener this was for me! Tonya had challenged me on my thinking. And suddenly I felt God challenging me on my thinking. Tonya had a beautiful God perspective on creation - and I had missed it.

 

I had seen roughness where she had seen beauty. I had seen an ugly pattern, where she had seen the elegance of lace. I had seen something unrefined where she had seen love and loveliness.

 

In my psychology lecture this week, we have been talking about ANTs - Automatic Negative Thoughts. These ANTs are what can cause us to see the glass half empty. They can cause us to have a negative perspective on life and, if prevalent for long enough, they can eventually lead us into depression.

 

These ANTs are not of God either. Our God is good and lovely and beautiful and as one who created us, He wants us to have beautiful minds also. God challenges us on our thinking in Romans 12:2 :

 

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

 

The pattern of this world is to look at life the opposite of how God sees it. And the pattern of how we can see ourselves is to look at ourselves the way the world sees us, not how God see us.

Do you know that when God looks at us, He doesn't see the holes, the scars and the ugly pattern that we see? He sees us as beautiful elegant lace. The heart that is scarred from a life of hardship and challenges is a heart that He sees as beautiful and lovely.

 

God doesn't view us the way the world does. And He doesn't want us to view life with Automatic Negative Thoughts. He wants us to invite the Holy Spirit to transform our minds so that we see life differently and have a new perspective on things. Where we once saw ugliness, He wants us to see beauty.

 

My challenge this week is to stop my ANTs in their track and ask God's Holy Spirit to transform my mind, so that I can see beauty in my everyday life.

 

What do you see when you look at life - ANTs or Lace?

 

When Admiration becomes Envy

Have you ever been camping and had tent envy?

 

Our family just went camping last week for the first time in 4 years. And we had a brilliant time...but I experienced a severe cast of tent envy. Well actually tarp envy!!! 

Anyone who has been camping before knows that it is a common practice to check out other people's setup. You know that when you arrive, people will be watching you. You can feel their eyes on you as you set up your tent and they are watching how you go about this process and also checkout what sort of camping gear you have. And then you do the exact same thing when other people arrive after you...you sit back and watch them setup their camping spot!

It has been 4 years since our last camping trip so we did not have a lot of camping gear, however, we had enough to make do. We had two tents, sleeping bags, a gas cooker, a weber bbq, a table and chairs and a friend of ours generously offered us his tarp to use as our shelter for our eating area.

 But when we got there to setup, we realized we only had 4 tent poles to hold the tarp up and being such a heavy tarp and a windy campsite, this was a recipe for trouble. James, my husband, spent most of the time over 2 days adjusting the poles and tightening the straps until eventually on third day we were there, a lovely old man waltzed over to inform us that there was a wind of 30knots coming through and we should really just take it down.

Meanwhile, over yonder on another campsite, there was a couple who had set up the day after us. I had watched him intently in his setting up because the more I observed him, the more I was in awe. In fact, I was mesmerized! This man displayed such organisation, efficiency and ease in his setting up, he was clearly a camping expert! His tarp had a crossbeam, many strong tent poles and ropes and within a matter of 15 minutes or so - it was in place - and it was staying there!  Whilst we were experiencing continuous trouble with our tarp, this couple were chilling back and relaxing!! Not once in the entire 4 days we were there did he have to adjust the ropes, move poles, or check its stability..not even during the 30knot wind gust!
I wanted his setup!!! I had a severe case of tent and tarp envy!

 So...when does admiration become envy? When does looking to other people's example become jealousy?  When do we move from being inspired to being green?

Often we can look to other people's lives and be envious of where they are at and the lives they are living and the setup they have, not realizing that we are really telling God that the life He has given us and all that He has blessed us with is not good enough.  Our green eyes can lead to a resentful heart without our realization.

 

In our jealousy and wishfulness for someone else's life, we miss the point. When we spoke to our fabulous tarp man, he informed us that his setup was the result of years of camping failures, mishaps and experiences that have led him to learn how to create a great camping experience. This is the point that we miss!! What we fail to realize is that the setup others have in their life is because they are in a different season to us, they have different experiences to us and God has given them a different purpose to us. We miss this because we envy what they have in the present and neglect what they have been through in the past.

 

Don't envy the life that someone else has. They are just on a different journey to you and in a different season to you. They have learnt from their experiences, their mishaps, their failures. Yes, the bible tells us to look wisely to other people's example. But it also warns us against envy. It can harden your heart and make you lose focus.

 

God has created you unique and special. There is no one else like you and there never will be. No one else is in the same season as you...similar ...but not the same. Because you are unique.

 So..learn. Learn from others, learn from your mistakes, mishaps, and experiences - but most of all, learn from the word of God that is your guide to a great setup. Do this...and you will be able to live and enjoy a great inspirational life that is created from experience, knowledge and wisdom - after all, wisdom is just knowledge applied in practice with experience. Do this and you will set an example to others and they will look to you for how well you are setup for life!

 A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones. Proverbs 14:30

 

"Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity." 1 Timothy 4:12