Playing Hurt

“The athlete knows the day will never come when he wakes up pain-free. He has to play hurt.” – Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us,  keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne. – Hebrews 12:1-2

I have never been a serious athlete. I never had the discipline to stick it out. I remember one of my best friends in middle school liked to box. He would come to school on Monday mornings and his eyebrows would be swollen from the pounding he would take on Saturdays. Yet he would do it week after week. Then there was one of my youth leaders who was former pro quarterback. It was not until knee operation #12 and the doctor told him he would not operate again that he finally gave the sport up. Now I know that there are times when athletic drive can be unhealthy but there are some positive principles we can learn.

Success is never achieved sitting on the sidelines and rarely is everything just perfect to take the field. Life has a tendency to come at us with challenge after challenge. The perfect time really does not exist.

So whether you are looking for success in business or your walk with Jesus, we have to learn to play hurt. Endurance and perseverance are keys in all areas of our lives.

So to excel at life we:

• Learn to play when we don’t have enough money
• Learn to play when we don’t have enough time
• Learn to play when we are discouraged
• Learn to play when it seems like life is falling apart
• Learn to play when it seems like everything we do fails.

The goal line is at the other end of the field and the other team (the stuff of life and yes the devil) will do everything it can to keep us from getting there. Everyday we must get up and move down the field. If need be, we must endure and persevere to scrap for every single yard. Our savior endured the cross so we can obtain life, so let us endure through faith to bring him glory. The great thing is that we don’t play hurt alone. We have each other and most of all we have the Spirit of Christ himself.

So how do you keep playing when hurt?

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 Photo Credit: Only Football via Compfight cc

About the Author: Jon Stallings

I am enthusiastic about helping others discover their purpose and grow into a deeper relationship with Jesus. It is great to see their eyes light up at their “Ah Ha!” moment when they discover they were created for something more. My hope is that this blog will help encourage and inspire you along your way. Join the conversation and take the time to share with me your own story. I have been married to my beautiful wife Janice for over 30 years. We currently live in McDonough Georgia with our daughter. Our two boys have left the nest and we have two wonderful grand kids. Of course we cannot forget about our dog Bear.