SO I GREW UP PLAYING SOCCER, FAVORITE SPORT BY FAR.
MY SPORT OF CHOICE.
I PLAYED TRAVEL BALL IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL.
AND THEN PLAYING FOR MY HIGH SCHOOL
WAS A LIFELONG DREAM OF MINE.
AND FOR WHATEVER REASON,
I SO VIVIDLY REMEMBER WHEN I WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
JUST HOW EXCITED I WAS TO REPRESENT MY HIGH SCHOOL,
WEAR THE GAMEDAY POLO AND FEEL THE LOCKER ROOM JITTERS,
AND HEAR MY NAME OVER THE PA SYSTEM.
AND I WAS READY FOR IT
AND I WANTED TO DO WHATEVER IT WOULD TAKE
TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
WELL, MY DRIVE
WAS PUT TO THE TEST MY FRESHMEN YEAR DURING TRYOUTS.
AS PART OF TRYOUTS, COACH GODFREY HAD US RUN
WHAT'S CALLED "THE COOPER RUN."
MAKES ME SHIVER AS I THINK ABOUT IT.
THE WAY IT WORKS IS WE ALL GET ON THE TRACK
AND RUN AS MANY LAPS AS WE CAN IN TWELVE MINUTES.
FOR SOME, THEY WERE LIKE, "EH, IT'S NOT THAT BAD."
I ABSOLUTELY DREADED THIS THING.
SOMETHING ABOUT IT PSYCHOLOGICALLY
JUST DIDN'T SIT WELL WITH ME.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE OPEN-ENDED NATURE OF IT
MADE IT SO DAUNTING!
AND ON THE INSIDE OF THE TRACK WE RAN AROUND
WERE THESE VENT-LIKE DRAINS
THAT CAPTURED WATER WHEN IT RAINED,
AND I REMEMBER THINKING, "I COULD TOTALLY
"ACCIDENTALLY TRIP ON ONE OF THESE DRAINS, HURT MY ANKLE,
"AND NOT HAVE TO DO THIS STUPID RUN ANYMORE."
NOW, I NEVER DID IT, OKAY, THAT'S KINDA CRAZY.
BUT DO YOU KNOW WHY I NEVER DID IT?
BECAUSE I KNEW WHAT WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS RUN
WAS WHAT I TRULY WANTED, WHICH WAS TO MAKE THE TEAM.
MAKING THE TEAM OUTWEIGHED THE TEMPORARY PAIN
AND TORTURE OF THIS RUN,
AND THAT ALONE KEPT ME MOTIVATED TO KEEP GOING.
I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS EXPERIENCE
IS WHAT NAVIGATING DIFFICULTY AND SUFFERING
SOMETIMES FEELS LIKE AS A JESUS FOLLOWER.
IN ROMANS 8, THE APOSTLE PAUL WRITES,
"I CONSIDER THAT OUR PRESENT SUFFERINGS
"ARE NOT WORTH COMPARING WITH THE GLORY
"THAT WILL BE REVEALED IN US."
THE WORD "I CONSIDER" MEANS "TO RECKON, TO CALCULATE."
PAUL IS BASICALLY SAYING,
"LOOK, I'VE DONE THE MATH ON THIS THING
"AND IT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE! I'VE PUT THE TWO ON A SCALE:
"THE SUFFERING ON ONE SIDE YOU'LL EXPERIENCE IN THIS WORLD
"AND THE FUTURE GLORY THAT AWAITS US IN HEAVEN
"ON THE OTHER SIDE, AND IT'S SO WORTH IT TO KEEP FOLLOWING JESUS
"IT'S NOT EVEN WORTH COMPARING."
WELL, WHAT IS THAT GLORY? IT'S OUR FINAL STATE.
IT'S WHEN GOD RESTORES HUMANITY TO HIS ORIGINAL INTENTION
BEFORE SIN DERAILED EVERYTHING.
IT'S WHEN SIN AND ALL OF ITS CONSEQUENCES
ARE FINALLY GONE FOREVER.
IT'S THE HOPE THAT THIS SUFFERING IS NOT THE END.
IT'S THE HOPE OF GLORY.
OUR PRESENT SUFFERINGS ARE REAL.
SUFFERING IS REAL BECAUSE SIN TOUCHES EVERYTHING.
PAUL INTENTIONALLY CASTS A WIDE NET.
PRESENT SUFFERINGS ARE ANYTHING HARMFUL,
DISTRESSFUL, OR HURTFUL.
COULD BE FINANCIAL DISTRESS, A DEATH OF A LOVED ONE,
AN UNEXPECTED TRAGEDY, OR EVEN OUR STRUGGLE WITH ANXIETY.
AND HOPE DOESN'T MINIMIZE OUR SUFFERING, BUT RATHER,
HOPE MAXIMIZES OUR ABILITY TO ENDURE IT.
AS CHRISTIANS, WE SHOULDN'T MINIMIZE THE GRAVITY
OF OUR DIFFICULTY AND SUFFERING,
INSTEAD WE SHOULD POINT TO THE HOPE WE CAN CLING TO
IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING BECAUSE OF JESUS.
WHAT ARE YOU WALKING THROUGH TODAY?
WHAT DIFFICULTY IS MAKING YOU QUESTION YOUR FAITH?
WHAT SUFFERING IS MAKING YOU WANT TO QUIT FAITH ALTOGETHER?
I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOUR HEART TODAY THAT GOD SEES YOU,
AND WHAT AWAITS US IS GREATER THAN ANYTHING THAT FACES US.
SO PRESS ON MY FRIENDS.
MAY THE SPIRIT OF GOD EMPOWER YOU TO DO SO COURAGEOUSLY.