Looking Forward

Teresa was an athlete who was all spirit, gifted with more determination than natural talent. But her Christian faith and love for soccer had a powerful effect on the other high school players. If we needed a surge of enthusiasm, we looked to Teresa.

During a difficult practice one day, Teresa struggled to finish a long-distance run. As I jogged to the end of the line to encourage her, she glanced upward and shouted, “Take me now, Lord Jesus! Take me now, so I don’t have to finish!”

Though we laughed hard at the time, I’ve often thought back to her plea. Teresa instinctively knew that there was something far better in life than earthly struggles or physical pain. She knew that as God’s child, the hope of heaven awaited her.

As an eyewitness to Jesus’ crucifixion, the apostle John must have been crushed by the pain of such an event. But then he witnessed the Lord’s powerful resurrection. John’s hope sustained him during days of great persecution; it purified him and empowered him to live in expectation of Christ’s return.

For competitors who want their teammates to experience God’s love, there’s no greater gift we can give than the hope of eternal life!