Renewal

When do we feel like our bodies are wasting away and our strength is drying up? Maybe it’s at the end of practice, halfway through preseason, or with one week to go in a long difficult season. How can we have our hearts renewed and find the strength to press through such feelings? Second Corinthians 4:16 gives us such encouragement. Paul was aware of his friends’ perilous times and the physical toll it was taking on them. He identified with their plight.

It’s the nature of competition and long seasons to wear down our bodies. We can identify with these people and the outward wasting away of their bodies. The wisest among us also know how to be inwardly strengthened, day by day, in our hearts.

Here’s the challenge for us. Can we trust our hearts to lead us to do the right thing, even when our bodies are crying for us to quit? Can we find new strength through renewed hearts and press through the hard times?

As we prepare to compete, we must trust our hearts to the One who gives strength without measure. Ask Him to fill us with courage and enable us to compete strongly. We will be amazed at how our minds and bodies will respond to the heart’s lead.