press

/pres/

verb

apply pressure to (something) to flatten, shape, or smooth it; squeeze or crush.

I watched a lot of NFL Football this season. Usually, I watch all of the Raven’s games and a few of the night games, but this year, for some reason, we watched all that were on. As a result, I was much more aware of all the ups and downs and issues surrounding most of the teams, not just my own.

It became obvious that a team’s football season is a lot like our Christian walk. We begin with hopes and dreams and plans, but as time wears on, unexpected things happen – good and bad -- that can move us in a whole other direction.  Injuries slow us down or force us to rely on others or other parts of ourselves. Success can come suddenly with much fanfare, only to be followed by disappointment and criticism, or vice versa. Some things may need to be replaced or re-thought. Gameplans may have to be adjusted. But no matter what happens, if you want to make it to the Playoffs and win the ultimate prize of the Superbowl, you will need to press on, even as you, yourself, are being pressed.

When trouble comes in life, just like coming up against a ‘better’ team, it can be tempting to quit or resign yourself to a losing season. There may be trick plays, unexpected turnovers, sacks, injuries, losses and more that cause you to question your strategy and resolve. The answer is not to forfeit the game. The answer is to PRESS ON.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.

This year, many teams lost their first-string quarterback for all or part of the season. In some cases it was devastating, but in most cases it was an opportunity: an opportunity for the next man to step up and show their talent, an opportunity for the rest of the team to strengthen their skills, an opportunity to find new strategies and plays to highlight different aspects of the team. In our lives this is true on a personal level (e.g., finding new talents, or strengthening talents you don’t often use) or on a group level (e.g., other members of a group stepping up, finding new volunteers, trying something new or finding a new way to accomplish the same task). In either case, quitting should not be an option. The answer is PRESS ON.  

Philippians 3:13-14

No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us.

And the best part is that unlike the NFL where there can only be one winner, all of us can achieve victory in our walk with Christ if only we PRESS ON. He will be our coach, our team doctor, and our trainer, and He will NEVER trade us to another team – we are His for eternity!

Romans 8:37-39

But despite all this, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us. For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, or where we are—high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean—nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us.

Blessings in the Pressing,

Jen