Underdogs.
We all love a good underdog story. Rudy. Seabiscuit. Legally Blonde. Caged No More (shameless plug). There’s nothing like the feeling of vicariously living through our heroes as they battle against all odds, get back up after every failure, and win the final victory. Underdog stories resonate to our cores as reminders that within each and every one of us is a fighter ready to face the blood, sweat, and tears of unprecedented challenges.
We all want to experience the thrill of being an overcomer…it’s just the overcoming part that we wish we could do without. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if we could just get plopped down on the finish line in 1st place, rather than have to endure the pain and heartache of the journey? And so for many of us, we loose heart in the battle and settle for an honorable mention. Some of us stop the fight altogether and reduce our pursuit of destiny to a spectator sport.
As I prayed about what to write this week, I felt in my heart God wants to remind us all that it’s OK to start again. In fact, it’s more than OK…it’s His will for you to pick up that dream you’ve let sit unattended in the corner. Even more than we love seeing our favorite underdogs win, God delights in watching His kids claim the conquests He planned for us before the foundation of the earth.
"God’s compassion never ends. It is only the Lord's mercies that have kept us from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness, and His loving-kindness is fresh every morning." (Lamentations 3:22-23)
Start again. In the big things, and the little things. Just like I wrote in my Fearless Newsletter (BTW, if you don’t receive that each week, it only takes a sec to sign up HERE), I had to come to terms with the fact that I’d allowed my schedule to get out of control. Even though I’d missed some weekly blogs, I needed to ignore the embarrassment of failure, pick up the pen, and start again.
What is it that you’ve let go? Is there something important to you that you've inadvertently set aside? I want to encourage you to take a step today to make that dream come to pass. A step to a new career. Or to a healthier body. To a kinder and more loving marriage. To building relationship with an estranged family member. To breaking that bad habit. To challenging your faith in God’s Word. To praying for others. To spending quiet time with your Father in Heaven.
The Fearless 365 Week Thirteen Challenge: Start Again. Today is a new beginning; take a deep breath and start again. Spend some time to inspire yourself with stories from the Bible about real life people who faced real life challenges, and through the power of God, overcame every test and trial. Abraham and Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Naomi & Ruth, David, Queen Esther, David…and that’s just some from the Old Testament! Then there’s Peter, John, Paul, Mary, Mary, or Mary (LOL...pick either the Mother, the Magdalene, or Laz’s sister). These are men and women who have gone before us, fought the good fight of faith, and chosen by God to be examples for us to model.
If they can do it, we can can do it. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, and His victory-inducing power that enabled these Heroes of Faith to succeed in their destinies is still available to you and me. Even if you’ve temporarily forgotten to utilize it.
Join with me today to start again. Even if it’s just one thing…pursue that one thing every day this week. Do SOMETHING to ignite the fire within you to unleash the overcomer inside of you!
