The Ability To Keep Going

I was watching my oldest son, John Mark, play tennis a few weeks ago in Hoover, Alabama. This is his first year playing, but I have to admit I am impressed with how quickly he has picked up the sport. This was the first match I had been able to attend and I was sitting on the far side of the court, quietly; not wanting to distract him or make him nervous.

This tennis match was played until one of them won eight games. Even though John Mark is a good tennis player he was playing a more experienced person, and it didn’t take long before John Mark was down seven to two. I prepared to watch the final game of the match, and was practicing my encouragement speech in my head as I yelled, “You’re doing great!”

Something happened in John Mark; he became more focused. His shots were more purposeful and his form improved as he began to remember the fundamentals of the game. Before I knew it the score was seven to four, and eventually seven to seven.

The last game of the match came down to one point. It was forty all and John Mark won the final point! He was so excited! I congratulated him as he walked over to me with a huge grin on his face, and told him that he could pick the restaurant where we would eat.

As we walked to the car I told him that even if he had lost, he would still have been able to pick the restaurant because I was so proud of his determination; he had refused to give up. His grin became even bigger as he piled into the van.

So often we view God as someone who is always pushing us to be perfect, and see him shaking his head in disappointment every time we make a mistake or lose a battle.

God is not a sadistic perfectionist just waiting for the moment when we mess up so he can come down on us. He is not so performance oriented that he withdraws his love from us when we fail.

Unfortunately, many of us do view God this way, and when we do we have a tendency to throw up our hands in defeat and say, “What’s the use?” Sometimes we use our inability to perform perfectly as an excuse to quit or to keep us from even trying.

Knowing who we are in Christ, and learning to understand the depths of the grace he provides for us is the foundation of our ability to endure hardship and not give up. Knowing that all God wants from us is our best and not the perfect performance takes the stress of possible failure off our backs. We are God’s children, not his adults!

After the match John Mark told me, “I wasn’t going to lose the first match my Dad was able to come watch.” I smiled and asked, “You do realize that I am more proud of your effort than your win, don’t you?” He smiled and said, “Yes.”

If I can give that kind of love and support to my son, how much more does God have for me and you? There is no comparison!

Whatever you are struggling with today, a job issue, a relationship issue, anxiety, whatever it is, simply rest in the knowledge that God’s love for you will not change regardless of the outcome. Don’t stop moving forward! Keep on going; God can use your worst mistakes for his good, and his grace covers up all sin, not just some.

Johnny Walker is a Christian Counselor and the founder of Family Works Counseling. You can reach him at 770-456-5547