A young man works his entire life to become a professional tennis player. He wins every youth tournament entered and his success continues into his teenage years. He works even harder, as the victories become common. While playing a charity event during his senior year of high school, he slipped and suffered an injury. This injury would require surgery and months of rehabilitation.
After a successful surgery, rehabilitation was becoming difficult. One day, during the middle of a session, he threw his hands up and said, “It wasn’t meant to be. God has other plans for me, or this injury would never had happened.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 — “Trust the Lord with all your heart, and don’t depend on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in all you do, and he will give you success.”
I commonly hear people say, “it wasn’t meant to be.” Maybe God was telling this tennis player that to be a champion, you’re going to experience setbacks. Maybe it might have not happened if he hadn’t been off the courts during this time frame.
When you encounter setbacks, I encourage you to look to God. Hold fast to His truths, not yours nor the world’s. Learn what God is trying to teach you at that moment and be patient with God and with yourself. You’ll know when it’s time to stop.
Don’t quit when you’re so close to victory. True failure is not even trying to get back up, but just quitting. You could have been so close, but you say it’s not going to work. God is always near and if you fall, He’ll pick you up and dust you off.
Don’t use God as an excuse not to execute because that message is not from Him.
Rick Stanfield is a syndicated columnist, motivational speaker and author. His latest book is “I Can and I Will.” For more information, visit his website at www.rickstanfield.com.
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