I recently had one of the greatest workouts of my life! It’s not that I’m so dedicated but that it took THAT MUCH EFFORT to get the ball over the net!!!

I’m describing a recent tennis game between David (my husband), myself, and some good friends who got together to play. They aren’t just ANY good friends, they belong to a tennis club, AND one of them played competitively in college.

This was only the SECOND time I had EVER played tennis. I was intimidated!

DISCOURAGEMENT CREEPS IN

I left feeling pretty disappointed, uncoordinated and as if my friends had just had to baby sit me for a few hours.

Have YOU ever been at that place where things go from bad to worse?

Well, by midnight I was awake and in incredible pain from my “awesome” workout.

I WANTED TO QUIT

I was feeling so discouraged I wanted to swear off tennis completely! Then the next morning, David woke up and said, “That was so much fun! Let’s go AGAIN!”

I wanted to strangle him, but instead of acting on that, I thought about my options. I had to make some choices.

Everything in me wanted to tell him, “I am so over playing tennis! I am not good enough, it had to be a bad experience for our friends, and I am in PAIN!”

DON’T MISS THE GOOD PART!

Then I started to think about what I would MISS out on.

– Time with my husband
– FUN of being with friends
– The food afterward
– Tremendous workouts

Because there was someone next to me who wanted to continue, and who ENCOURAGED me to continue, I decided I could try it ONE MORE TIME.

DO YOU NEED TO BE ENCOURAGED?

Are you struggling with a tough relationship, a difficult job, or is just getting out of bed in the morning?

When Joshua was discouraged because Moses had died and Joshua was overwhelmed with being tasked to lead the children of Israel, God told him, “Be STRONG and COURAGEOUS!” (Joshua 1:6-7,18)

Just like David encouraged me that I could do it ONE MORE TIME, that’s what I am here to do for YOU.

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