“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.'” — James 4:13-15
The Ultimate Comforter
Athletes have no idea what’s going to happen on any given play or on any given day. If they did, there would be no reason to play the game. History is full of outcomes that just shouldn’t have been.
There never “should” have been a Miracle on Ice, certain teams should never have won the Super Bowl, a gymnast with a badly sprained ankle should not have led the U.S. to an Olympic gold medal, and on and on.
But why do I point out such uncertainty? Because not knowing what is going to happen when you spend so much time training, practicing and preparing can be frustrating for an athlete — and us as Christians. We can plan, but such planning doesn’t guarantee anything.
I’ve heard it said many times that if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. What has finally occurred to me as I’ve gotten older is this: I can plan and prepare all I want, but the end is up to God. And not only does He know the end, He designed it for His glory. After all, we are here for His glory, not our own.
None of us knows what is around the next corner, but God does. We have to put our faith in Him because what is above our heads is beneath His feet, and His will shall be done.
— Chris Boggs
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