Have you ever watched a game where it looked like there was absolutely no way a team could come back?
The score was too far apart. Time was running out. The momentum was gone. Some people had already stopped watching because, in their minds, the game was over.
Then something changed.
One point.
One play.
One moment at a time.
And suddenly, what looked impossible became possible.
Life can feel the same way.
Sometimes we look at the "scoreboard" of our lives and decide we're losing. We look at what hasn't happened, what didn't work, what we lost, how long we've been waiting, or how far we still have to go.
And we think, What's the point?
But the scoreboard doesn't tell the whole story.
Play This Point
In tennis, you can lose the last point and still win the match. But you cannot keep replaying the point you lost. You have to reset, refocus, and play the point in front of you.
That's a lesson for life and faith.
Maybe yesterday wasn't your best day. Maybe you made a mistake. Maybe someone disappointed you. Maybe something you prayed for didn't happen the way you expected.
You can't replay yesterday.
But God has given you today.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”
Matthew 6:34
Sometimes faith isn't having the entire game plan.
Sometimes faith is simply saying, "God, I'm going to trust You with this next point."
Stop Watching the Scoreboard
The scoreboard can become a distraction.
We compare our lives to other people. We count what they have and what we don't. We calculate how far behind we think we are.
But God never asked you to live someone else's life.
Your assignment is to remain faithful with what's in front of you.
Make the call.
Take the step.
Say the prayer.
Show up again.
Try one more time.
Forgive.
Apply again.
Believe again.
Play the point in front of you.
The Game Isn't Over
Some of the greatest victories happen after it looks like defeat is inevitable.
That's why you can't quit simply because of what the score looks like right now.
The score may say you're behind.
Your circumstances may say it's impossible.
People may have already counted you out.
But if God is still working, the game isn't over.
Galatians 6:9 reminds us:
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Notice those last words:
If we do not give up.
You don't have to know how everything will turn around.
You don't have to win the whole game today.
You have to keep showing up.
One Point at a Time
Whatever you're facing this week, don't allow the scoreboard to convince you to quit.
Take your eyes off everything that hasn't happened yet and ask:
What is the point God has placed in front of me today?
Then play it.
Give it your faith.
Give it your focus.
Give it your best.
And when that point is over?
Reset.
Then play the next one.
Because sometimes the difference between defeat and victory is simply this:
You stayed in the game long enough to see what God was going to do.
This Week's Challenge
Don't worry about winning the whole game.
Just play the point in front of you.
And whatever you do...
Don't quit because of the score. The game isn't over yet.