Up and Down

Basketball is a great picture of what life is like. Within the course of a game there are ebbs and flows, ups and downs. Take for instance a game my team played recently. We started off the game poorly, but by the end of the first quarter we were trailing by only 1 point. Midway through the third quarter we were riding high with a 17-point lead before the opposing team started to come back and we came crashing back down. The fourth quarter went back and forth before a few plays at the end of the game helped my team secure the win.

Life is eerily similar to that basketball game. Today you might get that promotion you’ve been waiting on or that hard earned A on a paper or test, and tomorrow you might find out your car has broke down and suddenly you feel under the weather. A beautiful day is followed by rain and thunderstorms, and an enjoyable dinner can be followed by opening an unexpected bill. Life is full of ups and downs. Through it all we are to remain focused on the Lord. Through life’s ups we are to remain focused on the one who got us there and through the life’s downs we are once again to remain focused on the one who will guide us through.

In Psalm 16:8, David, a man who knew life’s ups and downs well, said “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Likewise, we should keep our eyes focused on the Lord no matter where we find ourselves in life because we are firm in the knowledge that it is God walking alongside us that leads us to the good and leads us through the bad. Finally, we know that when we arrive at the end of this life, those of us who have trusted Christ as Lord and Savior will have ultimate victory because of Jesus sacrifice and God’s grace and mercy towards us. Press on, keep your eyes focused on the Lord, be confident because he walks with you, and live your life with supreme confidence because the victory is already won!