"Lord, I don't ask that I should win, but please, please don't let me finish behind Akabusi."
Encouragement and endurance
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6I love the thought of God as the source of encouragement. We all need encouragement. Sport – and life – bring many discouragements. We all need encouragements to help us get over the discouragements. The other thing which God gives is endurance. He gives us the ability to keep going, another really helpful gift for discouraged humans. The third gift on offer is that we have the attitude of Christ. This might seem to be more of a challenge than a gift! We are to have a Christlike attitude to others.
Often the cause of our discouragement is or includes the actions of other people. Paul’s answer is not to try to get even with them but to treat them in a Christlike way. The result is that we will be in harmony with our brothers and sisters and we will glorify God with them.
These verses at first glance seem very “religious” but they are extremely practical. Put simply: if you are struggling, remember that God is the true source of encouragement and that he can help you to keep going. If you are struggling with someone aim to treat them like Christ would. Finally if your relationship with God is right, everything else will fall into place.
Try to put this into practice, the next time you feel discouraged