Article August 23, 2004 Issue

Finish the pull

By John Conner

When I was six years old, my dad bought my elder brother and me a set of weights. Even at that age, I discovered I could lift more than most of my classmates. But we lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana—a college football town—and football was what I desperately wanted to play. I seemed to possess good athletic ability, but there was one thing I feared would stand in my way of success in football—I just wasn't big enough.

However, I also went regularly to a local Sunday School where I learned that God was the source of my strength and athletic ability, and not physical size.

That gave me hope. I also got to know Jesus' words in what's called his Sermon on the Mount, where he told people to put less emphasis on food, drink, and clothes, and more on the quality of their thoughts. He suggested we learn from the birds of the air and the lilies of the field how to trust God for all our needs. "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow," he said. "God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes" (see Matt. 6:25–34, Eugene Peterson, The Message). I liked that promise, and immediately latched onto it.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Finish the pull

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access