In the midst of a desperate situation, “throwing in the towel” seems tempting.  Depression sets in and the burdened soul thinks “What’s the use?”   It seems at that time no one else in the world has ever had a similar problem.  Whether it is a bad day, an annoying constant problem or heavier burdens of physical illnesses, financial problems or losing a loved one, the human soul feels weighted down with sorrow.  You might even feel you have been put into a boxing arena and in the heat of the battle, want to go down for the count.

Wrong!  God made His children to be winners, not losers.  “Stinking thinking” gives the enemy of our souls a stronghold and he is ever striving to bring about more chaos.

It takes real courage to persevere, to keep the faith and to focus on the victory.  The suffering soul perceives his or her situation as the only one ever experienced

by mankind.  Rest assured your case is not isolated.  Somewhere, sometime, someone else has met a similar circumstance and they overcame it by faith in God and a positive mindset.  We  have a choice of our thoughts, negative or positive.

            I read the following story from ACTS International, copyright c 2002:  The author is unknown.  “A son and his father were walking in the mountains.  The son fell and uttered a scream.  His scream echoed back to him.  Being curious, the boy called “Who are you?”  A voice echoed back “Who are you?”  The boy became angry and he yelled “Coward.”  The word “coward” came back to him.

            “What’s going on?” the boy asked his dad.

            The father smiled and told the boy to pay close attention to what he was about to say.  The father shouted “I admire you.”  The echo repeated “I admire you.”  Again the father yelled “You are a champion.”  The voice replied “You are a champion.”

            The father then explained, “People call this “Echo,” but really this is “Life.”  It gives you back everything you say or do.  Our life is a reflection of our actions.  Life will give you back everything you have given to it.  Your life is not a coincidence.  It is a reflection of you.”

            So we come back to the wisdom of the Bible:  “As a man thinketh, so is he….”  (Proverbs 23:7).  I would rather give my life my best shot than to retreat in defeat by not trying at all.

            Every problem has a thought process.  Losers see only an ongoing battle.  Winners see the end result.  (They have read the last page!)

            One reason the enemy fights so hard is because just around the corner victory is waiting for you.  You are a champion and champions get right back up.  Staying down makes you a loser and losers focus on all the negatives.  Besides, you cannot be a winner if you drop out of the fight.  Winners persevere, focusing on positives and the victory!

            Encourage yourself in the Lord.  A heart at peace gives life to the body.  “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace”  (Psalm 29:11).

            Be the champion God created you to be.  Put on those boxing gloves and plough right through trouble head on.  Show the world the stuff you’re made of.  With God on your side you will prevail.

            Life just doesn’t get any better than that.

            Stay in the fight!