I have come to the conclusion that I need people! I realize that I was not created to live life alone…even when I ask those closest to me to leave me alone. I want them in my life to have someone to tell to leave me alone! This truth about me came to the forefront this past week when I began to realize a little dip in my discouragement meter. Okay, it was more like the Royal Gorge depth on the discouragement meter.
See me down there by that rock?
See, I am right down there at the bottom by that rock. That is how I felt this week. It was like I was always at the bottom, looking up. It seemed as if all factors of my life had conspired against me and ganged up on me to beat me into submission. But just like the WWE wrestler that I have secretly always wanted to be that is seemingly down for the count, my arm didn’t quite hit the mat that third time the referee checked. Why? Because of what is known in the wrestling world as “outside interference”.
Outside interference is when there is a wrestling match that is taking place and one person is just getting whipped like a bad guy on an Indiana Jones movie. At this point, the beaten wrestler’s allies come rushing into the ring and begin to clean house. Sometimes, the other guy’s allies come rushing in and help out their friend and what ensues is just a good old fashioned, faked brawl. I used to love it…okay, I am still in wrestling therapy sessions. But the cool thing about this is that somedays, I feel like I am in a wrestling match and getting whipped. One moment it is health issues or finances or schedules and the next minute it is job-related or family or car breaking down stuff. Its moments like that when you need your teammates to come and provide a little “outside interference” for you. Let me say this, I have some of the best friends in the world! I am fortunate to have some people that I can call on at any time to talk about things or have them pull me, push me or slap me back in to reality when needed! I am so glad that I have great teammates!
Its good to have teammates!
King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 4:12,
A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
This weekend I sat and watched my daughter’s softball team play in a tournament. There were games that got out of hand pretty quickly and we knew that we had the other team outmatched, then there were moments of doubt that crept in to our team. One game, the semi-final game, our girls were down to a good team, 3-0. It seemed that they were able to scatter some hits and mix in a couple of walks, but could never break through and plate a run. Then, in the bottom of the last inning, it all came together. Our girls strung some hits together, had some breaks go their way and wound up scoring 5 runs to win the game on a double that was hit to the fence by one of the girls who had been struggling at the plate. What I saw and heard stuck with me. One of the girls that running and on first base, looked at the girl batting, called her by name and said,
Come on, you can do it, we believe in you!
Our team went on to lose in the Championship game 7-4 to a good team from Waco, TX, and got the Runner’s Up Award for the tournament.
I am writing this partly to brag on our girls, but also to bring home a lesson learned at a softball tournament…we need others who will look at us and tell us they believe in us! I know I do! I am fortunate enough to have those people in my life who when they say it, they mean it!
Do you have those people who are in your corner?
How can you develop those relationships that you can call on when needed?
Who is in your chord of three strands?
You were designed to live life in relationships with others, I pray that you will build those relationships that God has put in your life so that you don’t find yourself staying at the bottom of the Royal Gorge of Discouragement looking up for very long!
oneguyseyes 