Olympians Persevere!

Sis, Sunshine, and I went swimming today.

They were inspired by the Olympic synchrinized swimmers- and by TeeKay and Auntie Em last week, but unfortunately there are no pictures! So they decided to try. Their first efforts were not bad…

           

But they wouldn’t qualify for the Olympics. So they kept working! They got better and better.

    

And finally…. voila!

I press on toward the goal… Philippians 3:14

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

… Perseverence produces character… Romans 5:4

Keep your eyes on the prize!

Grace under pressure

I confess, I haven’t been watching the Olympics, but I’m keeping up a bit with my friends’ Facebook posts! My favorite so far is little Jordan Weiber, who was obviously devastated when she didn’t qualify for the all-around finals.

But right after that, went on to give a stellar performance. What discipline! And further, the grace she showed to her teammates, in being genuinely thrilled for them– that’s maturity beyond her years.

And remember this? When Kanye West “photobombed” the 2009 MTV Awards and interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video and said that Beyonce “had one of the best videos of all time.”

When Beyonce won the Video of the Year, she acknowledged Taylor and invited her up to finish her speech so gracefully and kindly. She was not the one who had done anything wrong, but she gave up her limelight for someone who had been cheated. What class!

I taught a student who made the Texas All-State Choir as a freshman, a huge accomplishment. Then her sophomore year, she didn’t, but my daughter did, as a senior. This little 15-year old was so excited for Sis, and told her all about what to expect, and how happy she was for her. I was so proud of her!

We all get in situations where we feel cheated, or unfairly treated, or disappointed. Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 4 to stay at his post- keep on telling others the Message; keep up his daily spiritual disciplines; keep doing what God told him to do. We have to do it too. If God puts us somewhere, whether it’s a classroom, at home with preschoolers, in an office– figure out what He’s doing there and what your part is. Then leave the results to Him. You just keep on doing your part, with grace, no matter the circumstances.

Have you had a time where you had to keep strong when you didn’t want to?

I’m linking up with Women Living Well  and The Alabaster Jar.