The difference was that the championship team had a lot
of seniors that went on to play college ball and a lot of size (which is one
thing you can’t teach.) The year where we were on the short-end of the
scoreboard at times, we had a couple guys that went on to college ball (one was
still in middle school and one just a sophomore) and we had virtually no size
when it comes to hoops. (I think our tallest guy was only 6’1” or 6’2”.)
Some of our fans actually came to me and stated that we
should play a softer schedule so we don’t get beat so bad. I asked my kids this
week when I was sharing this story if they thought I should have lightened up
the schedule. You may be wondering why I said “it was a great year”?
My motto as a coach and player was that I/our teams
couldn’t truly know what we were made of unless we faced the biggest
challenges. I didn’t take pride in beating easy opponents. I loved the times
that year the young guys competed hard against bigger opponents. I loved it
when we would stay with a vastly superior team for a game, or a half, or even a
quarter. I can’t remember the score of any game that year; yet I can remember
plays where our guys rose up against adversity.
I was telling my kids about those years as I was leading
up to talking to them about some adversity heading our way as a family… The
reality is that at times this thing called life is hard! Some Bible teachers
even try to present the Christian life as a way for everything in life to be
rosy… this simply isn’t true. In fact, if that were true why would God say this
about Himself:
·
Psalm 62:8
Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a
REFUGE for us. Selah (means pause and think about it…)
·
Psalm 32:7
You are my HIDING PLACE;
You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of
deliverance. Selah (The Hebrew word for “preserve” means to “watch over”…
do you get that? God is watching over us in the midst of the trouble!)
·
Isaiah
41:10 Fear not, for I am with you: Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will
strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right
hand.
I could go on and on with just verses about running to
God in our times of troubles, but I think you get the picture. Charles Stanley
said, “Often times God demonstrates His faithfulness in adversity by providing for
us what we need to survive. He does not change our painful circumstances. He
sustains us through them.”
Psalm 50:15 Call
upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.
Life is hard and I plan to face it head on. I told my
kids that it is not that big of a deal when we walk by faith in the easy times…
not that big of a deal when we praise His name in the good times… that is easy
to do. But in the hard times will we stand (and by stand I mean “trust” Him)?
Proverbs 24:10 If
you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
I am currently facing some serious adversity. (I’ll share
more about this in the coming days.) I am willing to face the giants! I want to
be faithful in the “day of trouble”! And in the meantime this is what I am going
to do: I will praise You for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows
very well. Psalm 139:14
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