My son pulled this picture out today, it's almost ten years exactly since this picture was taken. As I looked at this action shot, in a moment, I return to that game, I remember what it felt like to take the ball to the hoop against Candace (a superb player, by the way). What fatigue felt like towards the end of the game, the thrill of victory that came, once the clock hit 40 minutes that night. I thought about life back then, and life over these past ten years.
As a professional athlete, we trained as a way of life back then, you don't make it at this level, unless you are a fierce competitor. The gym is more home than your actual home, you train endlessly, weight training, sprints, endurance training, you eat in a way to aid your performance, you study the minute details, science even, of your on court form. Your defensive intelligence, and stance always needing improvement. Your follow through, mechanics of your shot, it never ends.
As a team, you find a way to work as one unit, drilling, sometimes endlessly over, and over, until habit forms, and you see improvement in the area of moving five parts as one unit. You are physically strong, the stronger you are in mind/body, usually, the stronger you are on the court, and the final remainder of the equation, is victory, champions.
I thought about how much softer my arms are now, how I would look semi ridiculous running sprints amongst professional athletes today, endurance is all but gone, and my competitive edge is basically non existent.
But I have grown, I have become strong in another way, by Gods grace, He has softened not just my arms, but my spirit. I have grown in humility, in compassion for others, and maybe most drastically, becoming wife/mom teaches you, amongst other things, to live for someone other than yourself.
1 Timothy 4:8 says, 'for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.'
God has revealed Himself to me in such sweet ways these past ten years, through trials, heartache, challenges, sweet moments as well. He has revealed so much of the junk in my own heart, humbled, and strengthened my spirit, in the light of living for Him.
I love the expression on my face in this picture, I by no means believe that there is no longer a battle that rages in my current life. I battle every single day against my own desires, against my flesh, against my self exalting, self pleasing, self centeredness. We have an enemy who roams the land seeking whom he may devour. This calls for fierce warriors, armed with the armor of God, to fight strong in Him, through Him, and for Him. I need to be more of a warrior now than ever. Fighting for the souls of the little precious people, entrusted to our care for such a short time. Battling fierce for unity in marriages, teaming up with our church families to find a way to shield our congregations from the onslaught of false teaching, pride, legalism, weak theology. There are endless ways to fight, even in my current state of life, it just looks a lot different than it did ten years ago. Im thankful for the lessons that 8 years of completing at the highest level taught me, I just compete for a different kind of prize now. I love my current season of life, and while the lessons are dear from those years of ball, I would never want to go back. By Gods grace Im not what I was, butI am not yet what I ought to be....
Keep fighting the good fight.....