When an athlete wants to be the best, he devotes himself to his sport with focus, labor, and perseverence. All for a hope of the glory that comes with victory.
My uncle Cameron tells a great story about when he was asked to pitch in a fast-pitch softball game. He had little experience pitching and embarrassed himself on the mound that night. But that game was a turning point for him, as it was the motivation behind hours and hours of practice. He likes to say that he just went out to a ball field with a glove and a bunch of balls and just threw them up against a fence over and over and over again, until he could pitch.
Well, apparently it worked. He improved to become one of the best softball pitchers in the country and he was a "hired gun" for several professional teams around the nation.
What do you want bad enough that you will just drop everything to make it happen?
For Cameron, he wanted to be good next time he was asked to pitch and it meant he had to just go pitch until he was good. He's repeated the same technique in business as he is now a very successful business leader.
For you it could be professional, educational, physical, or relational goals. Hopefully your life cycles through different seasons as you set yourself toward something, go achieve that thing, and then move your focus to the next goal.
For me, it is currently on my new marriage relationship with my beautiful wife Stephanie.
When an athlete wants to be the best, he devotes himself to his sport with focus, labor, and perseverence.
I think this same approach is taken in marriages across America. This is a good thing. But I'm learning, that it is not enough.
When I wanted to get A's in school, I worked hard until I got them- and I always got them.
When I wanted to be able to strike a soccer ball harder than anyone I knew, like my uncle, I just kicked a ball more than anyone else until I was the best at it.
When I wanted to love Stephanie better, things got complicated...
The world teaches us how to be good at the things of this world.
But love is not of this world.
Love requires all of the things this world just doesn't understand.
Love seems to make sense while actually defying all logic.
Love is from heaven and the ways of heaven are almost always the OPPOSITE of the ways of the world.
Like worldly things, marriage needs focus and dedication. But it needs more. It needs true Love.
And no, I'm not talking about the kind you see in the chick flicks. I mean Love, Jesus Christ, because His name is Love.
Without Love a marriage will fail.
You need marriage or relationship advice?- Love himself is available for counseling. His Holy Spirit can actually live IN YOU. And its amazing how good Love is at making marriages AMAZING, like no one in this world could ever do.
Whether you are an experienced spouse or still trying to figure it out, regardless of if your marriage is struggling or is smooth and easy.... going to the Lord for wisdom and just asking Him to help you be a better spouse is a very smart thing to do.
Humble yourself, consider the importance of this relationship, admit you could do better, and then ask the inventor of love, the source of love, and the one who's name is Love, to teach you to love better.
So does marriage require hard work? Yes.
But it also requires Love - the kind that would suffer and die on a cross for us.
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