Last night our Atlanta Falcons played such a terrific game that I sat there and thought, this is a really good team. And then we came up short in two crucial situations that could have won the game but we did not. They were good, but just not good enough.

I can think back on many times in my life, as you might also, when what I did was just not enough but required every ounce of energy I had to be in that moment. In a world where we tend to define success by wins and losses, it's easy to get down when we lose, whether it's us or one of our family, friends or our favorite team. 

However, it is in the midst of adversity, in those succeeding moments after losses that our faith is forged. So many biblical examples are there for us to read, but one of my favorites is in Acts, Chapter 14. Paul healed a man who was crippled, was hailed as a God, then criticized by the opposition, and eventually stoned to the point where they left him for dead. From winning to losing very quickly.

And then we see the true heart of a champion and his teammates: But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. Not only did he rebound from the loss, he went right back into the place he was not enough in the public's eyes and went back to the work he was called to do. 

It stings, it hurts, but coming up short, feeling not enough is that critical valley where God increases his grace to us as a bridge to victory: For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7.

Not enough in this world is more than enough in God's eyes because it is then that we tend to rely more on him and use the power he gives us to go back at it again.

Like Paul, we need to Rise Up, and God will show us how to win in those critical situations of life!

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For the last few weeks so many things have occupied my mind and distracted me from writing a blog. The changes of everyday life, family, the struggles of friends and associates, health challenges, and current events that shape and ultimately determine our future are claiming much space in my mind. 

When it becomes cluttered I have to pour it out into the hands of God or it paralyzes my ability to think and react clearly. I have learned that in His infinite design of a human this was his plan, echoed by the numerous Psalm's of David who faced this challenge continuously. When he needed answers he went to the one with solutions:

Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly for I am in trouble. Psalm 69:16 & 17

Then I remember Jesus words: In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world. Better than a Valium, much less confusing than smoking a joint or drinking excessively, when I finally came to the realization that any confusion, trouble, or stress that builds up within me can be filtered through the lens of God and returned with the calm of knowing he is right there with me to provide answers, I got it.

But part of getting it is allowing time to understand it. This is so simple, God has a plan for us, and no obstacles can change it except the ones we let our minds dwell on. We think we may be in trouble, we may be overwhelmed but we are in fact just stepping through the minefield of life with the one who knows where all the mines are.

So glad he loves us enough to know we can be human with him, and still think we don't have all the answers until we realize he has already answered them without our advice.

What a mighty God we serve! 


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