Patience: It's a building year
I coach a U-11 girls soccer team. My husband says I am obsessed. I am also very competetive; I really like to win. A lot. (Come on, who likes to lose?) I started off this season not having a clue what I was doing. I played soccer for years, but coaching it is a whole different story. I would go on the internet and google "soccer practice" and just start searching for drills and ideas for what to do with 14 girls on a soccer field. The first couple of games, we dominated. We won and we won by a lot. But I had this feeling we were in for trouble as the other teams got better. Sure enough, over the season the other teams got better and we started to lose. We had to completely change our strategy and grow as a team. We also had to endure some really tough losses. For our last 4 games, my girls played their hearts out. We completely dominated more than half or almost all of each of those 4 games; but we still lost or tied each one. As a coach, it is hard not to feel like I failed in teaching these girls. It is hard to watch my girls give it everything they've got and just get bad breaks, or no breaks! I had to come to a couple of conclusions as the season was winding down; winning isn't everything, and I need to have patience, because this is a building year.
I am sure all of you have watched a professional sports team play some sort of game. I am equally sure that you have heard, at some point, the expression "it's a building year." For the sake of making sure we are all on the same page, that expression is taken, in some form or other, to mean that we will probably lose a lot of our games this year, but we are using this experience/season to prepare for our future. (The Seattle Sonics basketball team and the Washington Huskies football teams are both having a "building year.") A friend was just telling me yesterday about "developmental soccer teams." It is where a coach takes a group of girls that are around 8 or 9, and puts them in a soccer bracket of 10 or 11 year olds. They play against teams that are 2 or 3 years older than them, expecting to lose a lot, but waiting for the year that they are finally the same age as their opponents. The expectation is that they will have developed such skill in those developmental years, that they will dominate in the games when they are evenly matched in age. The catch is, they have to be willing to view those early years in the right perspective. There will be losses and it will be frustrating, but it is for the purpose of being stronger in the future. Now obviously soccer is ridiculously unimportant in the grand scheme of life, but I see the importance of the spiritual application. It is crucial that I learn to endure the difficulties I face now, in order to be stronger and better able to walk with God in the future. I have to be patient, and realize that this may be a "building year".
Before we can really understand patience, we have to look at it in its different forms. There are two Greek words that translate into our English word patience, the first is hupomone and the second is makrothumia. Hupomone has the meaning that we would most commonly associate with patience, it means "to persevere, remain under, or bear up under." It literally refers to "that quality of character which does not allow one to surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial." Did you notice that word "circumstances?" Patience, in this form, is in response to things we face or circumstances we must endure. In I Thessalonians 1:3 Paul is thankful for his friends who show "endurance inspired by hope in the Lord." The English word endurance here is translated from the Greek word hupomone and we see that patience, or endurance, is inspired by hope in Jesus.
There is a very strong association in Scripture between this form of patience (endurance) and hope. I found this fascinating. In fact I spent HOURS studying this association....looking up Scripture after Scripture. The idea that patience could be a result of hope was brand new for me. Hope in itself is a very strong word. The Greek word (New Testament) for hope is elpis (with multiple Hebrew words meaning almost the same thing)meaning "desire of some good with the expectation of obtaining it." I began to furisouly write down my thoughts on the power of HOPE:
*HOPE is what brings life to a dying body in a hospital
*HOPE is what breathes fresh passion into a dying marriage
*HOPE brings strength to those who are tired of holding on and are losing their grip
*HOPE renews faith in God to come through with the answer
*HOPE is the belief in God for the prodigal to return, for the hard heart to soften, for the
future to be better and brighter.
*HOPE is unshakeable trust in God to take my brokeness and use it for good.
HOPE. Doesn't something just stir inside of you? Don't you crave hope? I believe with all of my heart that the entire world is yearning for hope. The church I grew up in was named "Hope." I will never forget the day that our pastor answered the phone to hear a desperate suicidal man on the other end of the line. That man, just before committing suicide, realized that what he really needed was hope. He opened up the phone book and looked for the word hope. He found our church, and our pastor; and that day He found Jesus, the one who gives us hope.
I shared the simple story of me coaching my soccer team, for that very reason; it is simple and ordinary. I, like you, get frustrated, discouraged, and very impatient. For you, the circumstances are probably different. Maybe you are frustrated with the season of life you find yourself in; at home with small kids, taking care of a sick loved one, disunity among family, in a job that feels like a dead end, or working hard at something that you don't see the results you want to see. Maybe you are losing your marriage, your kids, or your family. Maybe you feel like absolutely everything is falling apart. Whatever it is, God is using it to develop endurance in us. He is building us, and developing us so that when we are IN the situations and circumstances that He is right now preparing us for, we will be ready for them and we will be successful in them!
The Bible has a lot to say about hope. It says that :
*God's eyes are on, that He delights in, and He strengthens those whose hope is in Him.
(Psalm 33:18 & 147:11 & Isaiah 40:31)
*God gives hope (Psalm62:5/Jer. 29:11)
*Suffering produces hope (Romans 5:4)
*Scripture brings encouragement and hope (Romans 15:4)
*The God of hope fills us...so that we may overflow with hope (Romans 15:13)
*a downcast/discouraged or depressed person should put their hope in God (Ps. 42:5)
*Hope is an anchor for our soul (Hebrews 6:19)
*A heart without hope is sick (Proverbs 13:12)
I find the connection between lack of hope and sickness of the soul (discouragement or depression) very noteworthy. You may be facing something that has you feeling defeated or even depressed, but as you endure; remain faithful to God, trust Him, BE PATIENT, you can have hope! The biblical character that seems to stand out in the arena of hope is Job. We all know the story, Job lost everything, possessions, wealth and children. Yet he still had great hope. In fact Job 13:15 says "Though he slay me,, yet will I HOPE in Him!" Remember HOPE means to have desire for good with the expectation of obtaining it. Job expected that what he was now enduring (being patient in) was going to turn out for good. Job was convinced that God had not left him or lost sight of him, and that what he was enduring was going to cause him to "come forth as gold." (Job 23:8-10). In other words, Job understood that God was with him, and that God was developing, or refining him. Refining, it is important to note, is the process of eliminating by fire the dross of metals. Dross is the refuse that needs to be separated out so that metal is shiny and pure.
I don't know about you, but I have a lot of refuse in me. There is garbage and old habits and wrong thinking that is all piled up. I wish I could just will it away. I wish it would just slip away. But God knows that the process for removing the refuse (dross) is refining. Refining requires things to get heated up, so that the dross can rise to the surface and be scraped away, leaving me as a shiny reflection of the ONE whom I put my hope in.
You know, after coaching a season of girl's soccer, and being frustrated at my win/loss record, I have to look a the bigger picture. This season, I was able to lay aside my extreme competetiveness, and be God's example to some families that don't know Him. I stood by the hospital bed of one of my players while her family received the crushing diagnosis of diabetes. I was able to hug, love and pray for that family. I was there when TWO of the moms of my players unloaded their burdens of their husbands walking out; TWO families in one week. I have to believe, as I am learning patience through circumstances, that God knows what He is doing. He is developing me for the future for sure. Whatever I am training for right now, I want to be ready to face. He is also refining me. He puts me in the heated up circumstances (come on, the sidelines of a soccer game can get pretty heated!) so that he can begin to burn away the dross. As the dross begins to burn away, the finished product (me) begins to get shinier, so I can better reflect Jesus to a world who doesn't know Him. What could be more important? I take great hope in Him, and I am learning to be patient; after all, it's a building year.
For Further Study:
*Next week we will be studying patience that is a fruit of the spirit. Make sure to do weeks 2-5 in the patience chapter of your workbook
*Take some time to study in Scripture the connection between discouragement/depression/"downcast soul" and hope. Read and take notes on: Psalm 42:5, Psalm 62:5, Proverbs 13:12, Hebrews 6:19, and Lamentations 3:21
*TAKE SPECIAL NOTE OF LAMENTATIONS 3:19-21: look at what happens when we remember (dwell on) our past afflictions. what happens when we call to mind God's goodness?
*post the area that you are currently having a hard time being patient/hopeful in in regard to circumstances or situations. Post also what you plan to do to "shore up" this area.
Study girls! today was some of my best study time in at least 6 months! I hope you enjoy digging in there too!
I am sure all of you have watched a professional sports team play some sort of game. I am equally sure that you have heard, at some point, the expression "it's a building year." For the sake of making sure we are all on the same page, that expression is taken, in some form or other, to mean that we will probably lose a lot of our games this year, but we are using this experience/season to prepare for our future. (The Seattle Sonics basketball team and the Washington Huskies football teams are both having a "building year.") A friend was just telling me yesterday about "developmental soccer teams." It is where a coach takes a group of girls that are around 8 or 9, and puts them in a soccer bracket of 10 or 11 year olds. They play against teams that are 2 or 3 years older than them, expecting to lose a lot, but waiting for the year that they are finally the same age as their opponents. The expectation is that they will have developed such skill in those developmental years, that they will dominate in the games when they are evenly matched in age. The catch is, they have to be willing to view those early years in the right perspective. There will be losses and it will be frustrating, but it is for the purpose of being stronger in the future. Now obviously soccer is ridiculously unimportant in the grand scheme of life, but I see the importance of the spiritual application. It is crucial that I learn to endure the difficulties I face now, in order to be stronger and better able to walk with God in the future. I have to be patient, and realize that this may be a "building year".
Before we can really understand patience, we have to look at it in its different forms. There are two Greek words that translate into our English word patience, the first is hupomone and the second is makrothumia. Hupomone has the meaning that we would most commonly associate with patience, it means "to persevere, remain under, or bear up under." It literally refers to "that quality of character which does not allow one to surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial." Did you notice that word "circumstances?" Patience, in this form, is in response to things we face or circumstances we must endure. In I Thessalonians 1:3 Paul is thankful for his friends who show "endurance inspired by hope in the Lord." The English word endurance here is translated from the Greek word hupomone and we see that patience, or endurance, is inspired by hope in Jesus.
There is a very strong association in Scripture between this form of patience (endurance) and hope. I found this fascinating. In fact I spent HOURS studying this association....looking up Scripture after Scripture. The idea that patience could be a result of hope was brand new for me. Hope in itself is a very strong word. The Greek word (New Testament) for hope is elpis (with multiple Hebrew words meaning almost the same thing)meaning "desire of some good with the expectation of obtaining it." I began to furisouly write down my thoughts on the power of HOPE:
*HOPE is what brings life to a dying body in a hospital
*HOPE is what breathes fresh passion into a dying marriage
*HOPE brings strength to those who are tired of holding on and are losing their grip
*HOPE renews faith in God to come through with the answer
*HOPE is the belief in God for the prodigal to return, for the hard heart to soften, for the
future to be better and brighter.
*HOPE is unshakeable trust in God to take my brokeness and use it for good.
HOPE. Doesn't something just stir inside of you? Don't you crave hope? I believe with all of my heart that the entire world is yearning for hope. The church I grew up in was named "Hope." I will never forget the day that our pastor answered the phone to hear a desperate suicidal man on the other end of the line. That man, just before committing suicide, realized that what he really needed was hope. He opened up the phone book and looked for the word hope. He found our church, and our pastor; and that day He found Jesus, the one who gives us hope.
I shared the simple story of me coaching my soccer team, for that very reason; it is simple and ordinary. I, like you, get frustrated, discouraged, and very impatient. For you, the circumstances are probably different. Maybe you are frustrated with the season of life you find yourself in; at home with small kids, taking care of a sick loved one, disunity among family, in a job that feels like a dead end, or working hard at something that you don't see the results you want to see. Maybe you are losing your marriage, your kids, or your family. Maybe you feel like absolutely everything is falling apart. Whatever it is, God is using it to develop endurance in us. He is building us, and developing us so that when we are IN the situations and circumstances that He is right now preparing us for, we will be ready for them and we will be successful in them!
The Bible has a lot to say about hope. It says that :
*God's eyes are on, that He delights in, and He strengthens those whose hope is in Him.
(Psalm 33:18 & 147:11 & Isaiah 40:31)
*God gives hope (Psalm62:5/Jer. 29:11)
*Suffering produces hope (Romans 5:4)
*Scripture brings encouragement and hope (Romans 15:4)
*The God of hope fills us...so that we may overflow with hope (Romans 15:13)
*a downcast/discouraged or depressed person should put their hope in God (Ps. 42:5)
*Hope is an anchor for our soul (Hebrews 6:19)
*A heart without hope is sick (Proverbs 13:12)
I find the connection between lack of hope and sickness of the soul (discouragement or depression) very noteworthy. You may be facing something that has you feeling defeated or even depressed, but as you endure; remain faithful to God, trust Him, BE PATIENT, you can have hope! The biblical character that seems to stand out in the arena of hope is Job. We all know the story, Job lost everything, possessions, wealth and children. Yet he still had great hope. In fact Job 13:15 says "Though he slay me,, yet will I HOPE in Him!" Remember HOPE means to have desire for good with the expectation of obtaining it. Job expected that what he was now enduring (being patient in) was going to turn out for good. Job was convinced that God had not left him or lost sight of him, and that what he was enduring was going to cause him to "come forth as gold." (Job 23:8-10). In other words, Job understood that God was with him, and that God was developing, or refining him. Refining, it is important to note, is the process of eliminating by fire the dross of metals. Dross is the refuse that needs to be separated out so that metal is shiny and pure.
I don't know about you, but I have a lot of refuse in me. There is garbage and old habits and wrong thinking that is all piled up. I wish I could just will it away. I wish it would just slip away. But God knows that the process for removing the refuse (dross) is refining. Refining requires things to get heated up, so that the dross can rise to the surface and be scraped away, leaving me as a shiny reflection of the ONE whom I put my hope in.
You know, after coaching a season of girl's soccer, and being frustrated at my win/loss record, I have to look a the bigger picture. This season, I was able to lay aside my extreme competetiveness, and be God's example to some families that don't know Him. I stood by the hospital bed of one of my players while her family received the crushing diagnosis of diabetes. I was able to hug, love and pray for that family. I was there when TWO of the moms of my players unloaded their burdens of their husbands walking out; TWO families in one week. I have to believe, as I am learning patience through circumstances, that God knows what He is doing. He is developing me for the future for sure. Whatever I am training for right now, I want to be ready to face. He is also refining me. He puts me in the heated up circumstances (come on, the sidelines of a soccer game can get pretty heated!) so that he can begin to burn away the dross. As the dross begins to burn away, the finished product (me) begins to get shinier, so I can better reflect Jesus to a world who doesn't know Him. What could be more important? I take great hope in Him, and I am learning to be patient; after all, it's a building year.
For Further Study:
*Next week we will be studying patience that is a fruit of the spirit. Make sure to do weeks 2-5 in the patience chapter of your workbook
*Take some time to study in Scripture the connection between discouragement/depression/"downcast soul" and hope. Read and take notes on: Psalm 42:5, Psalm 62:5, Proverbs 13:12, Hebrews 6:19, and Lamentations 3:21
*TAKE SPECIAL NOTE OF LAMENTATIONS 3:19-21: look at what happens when we remember (dwell on) our past afflictions. what happens when we call to mind God's goodness?
*post the area that you are currently having a hard time being patient/hopeful in in regard to circumstances or situations. Post also what you plan to do to "shore up" this area.
Study girls! today was some of my best study time in at least 6 months! I hope you enjoy digging in there too!
posted by Di Beals | 12:23 PM
1 Comments:
Thanks Di! This was great encouragment for me in regards to what God has spoken to me this past week. Thanks! :)
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