These are the times…

I was returning home form the airport last night in the pouring rain and was listening to talk radio. I happened to tune in to the Tennessee football team weekly review. I am no Tenn. fan, in fact I dislike that team and their coach more than any other. Since they are having such a terrible year, I decided it would be worthwhile to hear fans call in and lambast their coach. (I know, I know, this is not the Christian attitude that I should have.) I was not disappointed. Tennessee football is akin to religion and they do not like having a mediocre team this year.
The coach was really catching it from the angry fans. 🙂

Call after call lambasted him and his players. Finally a fan called in and asked him what he intended to do about the “sorry mess” that he was in. He made a statement that I am not sure soothed any of his angry
(obnoxious) fans, but it did strike a note with me, because I have been in his position many times. He stated that many times in his professional life, personal life and spiritual life he had been beaten down. When it happens he stated that there is but one thing that can be done, aside from giving up and quitting. Fight back! “We are not going to stop fighting”, he said.

Mr. Fulmer is exactly right. Throughout our lives on this earth we will face many trials. The secret to success is to never quit fighting, and I might add, call on God to help deliver us. Though we may go through “times that try men’s souls”, there is only one option for the person who will be defined as a winner. Dig in, never stop fighting, and keep the faith. Soon the valley will turn into a peak and things will be sweet again.

As I write this I think of our company. We just endured a very hard time for several months, but we never quit fighting and now the very near future is beginning to look like it just could not be any better.
It is easy to be a quitter, but our employees when faced with 911 and the economic woes that followed, just never quit fighting. As things got tougher, so did they. They would not quit fighting. Now that we are beginning to ascend through the clouds and soon will reach the peak and obtain our goals, it is all the more worthwhile to enjoy it knowing that we did not give up, instead we battled and fought our way through the pitfalls of the valley to get there. How much more we appreciate success when it isn’t just given to us on a silver platter.

I think I understand a little more all of the time as to why God wants us to have valleys and peaks in our lives. The Bible tells us we should be happy when faced with tribulation. He tells us to call upon Him when we face trouble and He will deliver us. Don’t quit when you face trouble, never quit fighting and call on God to deliver you…

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Psalms 50:15
“Call upon Me in the day of
trouble.
I will deliver you, and you shall
glorify Me.”




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