“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” — Proverbs 24:10 (ESV)
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Italy waited a very long time for a men’s singles tennis champion, as in close to 50 years! While many good players had come and gone, none seemed to have the potential that could match the talent at the top of the sport and contend for big titles. That is, until young Jannik Sinner came along. Leaving behind a possible career in downhill skiing, Jannik picked up a tennis racket as an early teen and never looked back. Making a steady climb up the rankings, picking up significant wins and titles, and joining the conversation of future top talent, Jannik came into the 2024 Australian Open as one of the biggest contenders.
Pulling off the seemingly impossible by beating both Novak Djokovic and then-world-No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, who was playing in his sixth major final, Jannik grabbed his first major and ended the Italian title drought. For only being 22 years old, people were impressed with his composure and ability to handle the moment, especially having to come from two sets down and win the title in dramatic fashion. The media later asked him how he managed to deal with the pressure — both to fulfill expectations from his country but also in the heat of the moment itself. He replied, “There is always pressure, but the pressure is something good. You have to take it in a good way. … I like to dance in the pressure storm. … That’s where most of the time I bring out my best. … I think pressure is a privilege.”
Do you treat pressure in your life as a privilege? When stress and adversity come your way, do you see it as something beneficial? Do you take it in a good way, like Jannik put it? I recently heard someone say that there are essentially two different kinds of people in life: those who see challenges in possibilities, and those who see possibilities in the challenges. I’ve personally seen both types and it’s usually the ones who can see possibilities in the challenges who find a way to thrive when that pressure is happening.
Proverbs 24:10 (above) warns us that if we grow weary in the day of adversity, our strength is small. So how do you find that strength when the pressure is on? How do we turn something negative into a positive? We lean on Jesus. As Paul said in Philippians 4:12-13, we can overcome and deal with anything through Christ who gives us strength. We look for ways God is moving in the situation and we trust Him to lead us through. We can remember the basic neuroscience principle that emotions can shut down your reason, and the more worried or frustrated you get at the problem, the less focused you’ll be able to be in actually solving it.
If you learn to see it as such, pressure can be a proving ground for faith and growth. Pressure can teach you how to depend on God and put your beliefs to use in the heat of the moment. So the next time something comes up that has you feeling overwhelmed, discouraged or anxious, find a way to dance in the pressure storm because you just might be surprised at how it brings out your best.
— Katherine Singer
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