The Patriot Act

This past Sunday, my son Marshall and I watched the Men's Finals at Wimbeldon. To the amazement of most tennis experts and fans, Andy Roddick waged an unexpected and highly contested match against the favored, Roger Federer. The sports world had already crowned Federer the winner long before this match, the longest in Wimbeldon history, had begun. Although, Roddick eventually lost, making Federer the champion of all times with 15 major victories, he informed the world that he was not to be counted out. As we cheered Roddick on, my son, compared this match to the 2008 Superbowl match between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. The Patriots had come into the Superbowl proudly boasting a flawless season and with the Superbowl trophy all but in their hands. You see, the world had counted the Giants out, like Roddick. Surely, the game itself was just a mere formality to what was an already inevitable outcome. Low and behold, the Giants, who had apparently not gotten the same memo as the rest of the world, beat the Patriots and won the Superbowl. As we continued to watch the almost 4 hour match, my son said that this was the real Patriot Act-overcoming seemingly insurrmountable odds to beat an unbeatable foe. As I thought about our everyday life, I realized that we often find ourselves in life situations in which everyone has already labeled us the loser because we may be too old, or too young, to dark or too light or we may not have the qualifications that the world thinks we need in order to succeed. As children of God we can take our little and place it in the hands of God and watch Him bless us far beyond our imagination. The Patriots and the rest of those who thought they knew the outcome of a game that hadn't been played learned that the game isn't over until it's over. Federer and the tennis world learned too that life does not guarantee you anything. Even though Roddick eventually lost, he almost won, because it came down to a final volley that could have easily gone his way. In those four hours he learned that the matched still had to be played until the end and his defeat was not certain. That's just like life, we cannot give up just because we've been told that we can't win. Yes, there will be times that we will lose but that doesn't mean we don't keep trying. Our victory lies in the hands of the Master and no "expert" or statitician can predict our failure with 100 percent accuracy. I am so glad to know that the God we serve is the only one who has our victory in His hands and no one and nothing can block what God has already ordained.

Be encouraged, don't give up, God has not sounded the final trumpet yet. Be blessed an know that God loves you and He has already designed your victory in His plan for you!

Be Blessed...