When You’re Tired, Stay in the Game
Last week, we reflected on locker room pep talks. Athletes remember those pregame speeches, encouraging each player to “Be ready. Stay focused. Believe in one another.”
As we mentioned last week, we have Paul’s version of a locker room speech hanging in our office:
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”1 Corinthians 16:13–14
Those words prepare us for the game. But eventually, the whistle blows and the game begins.
That’s when perseverance kicks in.
Think about the fourth quarter. In many sports, there is a fourth quarter, the final minutes, or the last inning.
It’s when our bodies are tired. Our minds are fatigued. The scoreboard doesn’t look the way we hoped. Maybe we even want to throw in the towel.
Sound familiar?
Maybe that describes a season of life you’ve been through. Maybe it describes where you are right now.
Challenges in a marriage or relationship.
Business trials—maybe struggles, or even all-consuming growth.
Health issues.
Raising children…enough said!
The list could go on and on.
What do we do when life gets hard?
As we talked about last week, many of us have spent countless hours at the gym or on the field preparing our bodies for athletic competition. But are we putting that same effort into preparing ourselves for the life Jesus wants us to live?
Maybe we’ve been praying and aren’t getting the answers we want.
Maybe resentment or bitterness is creeping in because of circumstances we never asked for.
Do we stop trying? Stop leading? Stop praying and serving? Stop trusting our Lord and Savior to provide for us?
NO WAY!!!
The enemy would like nothing more than to see us quit—to see Christians throw in the towel when life gets hard.
Paul understood what it felt like to grow weary. That’s why he reminds us:
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”Galatians 6:9
Notice Paul doesn’t say we won’t become tired.
We will.
He reminds us not to quit.
Some of God’s greatest work can happen after we’ve reached the point where we feel like walking away. Thomas Edison is often quoted as saying:
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
That’s one of the most important lessons a young athlete can learn.
It doesn’t matter what happened on the last play, the last at-bat, or the last goal attempt. Champions keep going because they know the next play may be the opportunity that changes the momentum of the game.
Our faith often looks the same.
Keep praying.
Keep leading.
Keep loving.
Keep serving.
Keep showing up.
Stay strong in faith and action, and keep your heart open to what God has in store for you.
Hebrews gives us another powerful picture:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”Hebrews 12:1–2
Run with perseverance. Fix your eyes on Jesus.
Jesus never asked us to endure something He wasn’t willing to endure Himself.
So, gents, whatever fourth quarter you find yourself in today, stay in the game.
When you’re tired, keep going.
When the scoreboard doesn’t look the way you hoped, keep going.
When your prayers don’t seem to be answered, keep going.
When you’re tempted to throw in the towel, keep going.
We’re praying this week that whatever you’re going through, you’ll be encouraged and supported to persevere.
Because one day, when the final whistle blows, there are no words we would rather hear from our Heavenly Father than:
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