Something has happened to me this football season that has NEVER happened before. I am UNDEFEATED in my Fantasy Football League. I am a whopping 3 – 0. Please, to my friends in the Heritage Crusaders League, I AM NOT gloating! I will tell you I am SHOCKED! There are a couple of factors that bring this shocked feeling to the forefront…
- I have never finished above 9th place.
- After the draft, I had the oldest team in our 14 team league.
- After the draft, I had the Mr. Irrelevant award. (I was the only to draft a player out for the season!)
- Lastly, I received the worst “Grade” in the league with a D-. (I got better grades in college than that!)
Despite all of the “issues,” I have managed to win the first three weeks. Again, I am not bragging––just SHOCKED!
This caused me to think of how good God is! So many times, I deserve to be defeated, yet He has come through on my behalf and I find myself on a “winning streak” of sorts. Sometimes it is in relationships with my family, my church; sometimes it is with my finances; sometimes it’s within the ministries of Husband, Dad, Pastor, or Coach! Nevertheless, I don’t deserve them, but God sees to it that I get a few wins “under my belt!”
Then there are times that I cannot seem to “buy” a win. It’s just loss after loss, and seemingly failure every which way I turn! Those times are the hardest. It just seems that no matter how hard I try––no matter how I “draft,” I just can’t put together a winning team.
I wish I could say that I have never dealt with feeling “I want to quit!.” I do sometimes, but I have learned NOT TO QUIT! NOT TO GIVE UP! TO STAY THE COURSE! (Thanks Grant Spong!)
Luke 18:1 (NLT) says, “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.” I will not take the time to unpack this chapter here, but I do believe that it is a safe move to take this verse as a stand-alone verse and stand on the principle “to always pray and never give up!” “Stay at it,” Jesus is saying. If you do, then…
Galatians 6:9 (NLT), “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
It’s a promise––a principle to stand on! And just so you know, when you are tired and feel like hanging up the “cleats,” God is there for you! Let me show you…
Psalm 68:19 (NLT), “Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms.”
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you, Peyton Manning is my QB for my “Yankees Express” Fantasy Football Team. Even though he may be considered “old” for NFL (Not For Long) standards; his strength, wisdom, and uncanny ability to “thread the needle” is what makes him a great QB! I’m guessing that he has learned––“If you stay at anything long enough, you will get some wins for your team––or someone else’s Fantasy Football team!”
Thanks Peyton!