Lance Armstrong has been in the news lately. What many don’t know about this Tour de France Champion is that he is a cancer survivor. Lance said the following about the life-threatening disease that he fought: “If I had to choose between the Tour de France and cancer, I’d choose cancer . . . I’d rather be a cancer survivor than a tour champion.”
Surprising words from a celebrated champion! Lance went on to say,
“Pain is temporary: It may last a minute, an hour, a day or a year, but eventually it will subside and be replaced by something else. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”
The scriptures are filled with God’s promises for strength to endure. “They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength …” (Isaiah 40:31). Never quit! Your answer will come. God will teach you deep truths that you could never learn without being in the valley.
I do not share these words without understanding the depths of suffering: The pain of tragic loss, the wounds of betrayal, the shame of failure, the reality of death threats, the disappointment of deceit. All of these and more can bring one to deep discouragement. But in God’s grace, they can also bring one to the depths of the reality of Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” In each situation we have endured, we have learned something deeper about His grace, His love, His salvation, His Word, and His heart. And we have learned the beauty of these words in Isaiah 48:10 (NLT), “I have not refined you as silver is refined; I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.”
Not leaning on our own understanding can result in the greatest of “leanings” – leaning on and resting in the arms of Abba Father who cares more intimately for us than we can ever begin to understand.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9, God speaks an everlasting truth that I pray will encourage you this day and it has us so many, many time: “My grace is sufficient for you…”
Lean on Him today. His grace is sufficient for you!
And remember Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:16 (NLT) “This is why we never give up!”
Hey Pastor,
I found this piece you wrote interesting, very interesting. It spoke out to me because time and time again, I’ve fallen down and stood down because I felt like quitting, but I realized failing is better than quitting.