Pressing on in Parenting

Such a familiar verse– I know most of us have heard this one. Especially if we are athletes. But as the Olympic trials come on each night and I see the years of each athlete’s training culminate into this one competition…I can’t help but rethink our own personal trials.

The trials of life.

The trials that at times seem to be gunning for our very existence.

I’ve been blessed enough to know several Olympic athletes…as dear friends and even family members. Their dedication to planning, training, nutrition, competition, their equipment, and focusing every aspect of their lives centers around preparing for the trials.

And I wonder, as people of faith, do we realize we are spending every moment of our lives preparing for own future trials too?

Because, inevitably, the trials will come.

The test.

[bctt tweet=”And what I have learned is that every trial is an overwhelming opportunity to shine for Jesus. ” username=”lyettereback”]

These “opportunities” come disguised most times as a difficult circumstance to show of His ability to save, deliver, and overcome.

As I hear the various difficulties the  Olympic athletes have had to overcome in the course of their training to even make it to the Olympic trials, I realize that when I am facing a trial, many times my best first move is to remember how much I have already overcome, how far down the road I have made it. I chose to remember my past and realize that the Lord has never let me down, left me on my own, or not answered my cry for help… And many times that trip down memory lane recalling how He has helped me overcome in the past is enough to spur me onward when facing a new obstacle. Not unlike those athletes, who continue to press on, towards their goal of competing and hopefully winning in the 2016 Olympics.