1b I will love You, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. Remember the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew chapter 7 - two men, one whose foundation was built on the rock, the other on sand - adversity came, the storms, winds, and rains came, and the house of the man whose foundation was on the rock stood, the other fell...all the circumstances were the same, the only difference was the foundation - so when the trying circumstances of life comes, how will you respond? If our lives are built on Christ and His Word - that firm foundation - then we can know God's peace, presence, and wisdom, even in the midst of difficulty. We can give Him glory and thanksgiving, even when life seems to be falling apart, because we can be held together by His strength.
The apostle Paul writes to the church at Corinth in 1st Corinthians chapter 3:
10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
She's referred to as SRR, the Female Athlete of the Decade, the first gold medalist in Track and Field for the United States - in the women's 400 meters. Her name is Sanya Richards-Ross, who tweeted out following her victory:
I can't thank everyone enough for the love and support! Yesterday I competed for everyone of you and I hope by me facing my fears...and doubts I free you up to do the same! Always believe in yourself and your dreams. God placed them in your heart for a reason.What an inspiration who has the eyes of the world upon her right now. And, she is an example of someone who has faced challenges, yet because of her firm foundation in Christ, she is able to deal with adversity and press forward to achieve. Consider some of her challenges:
For one thing, she is a married competitor - her husband is NFL player Aaron Ross, formerly of the Giants, now with the Jaguars...there are certainly some family challenges.
And, since both of them are high-profile, you can imagine the challenges of being under seemingly constant scrutiny.
There are the health issues that she has faced. The diagnosis of Behcets syndrome - a rare, chronic disease that involves the inflammation of blood vessels all over the body, Behcets can cause serious skin problems, arthritis and meningitis: it can also affect memory, speech and movement. But, another doctor seems to think she doesn't quite fit the profile.
She had a quadriceps injury, as well, that has affected her past performance.
But, she has been able to rebound, and has now won Olympic gold, contending for another medal. She cites Phillippians 4:13 as her favorite verse, and told About.com:
My faith keeps me grounded. People always ask me how come I'm so good, and even though I try never to overwhelm people with my faith, I always think to myself, how come God is so good. My faith also encourages me to give my best. I know that my talent is God's gift to me, and how I use it is my gift to him.So what about you? What has God done and what is He doing in your heart that prepares you for the challenges you may face? The pressures of a family life. Perhaps some pressures on the job - or no job at all? The diagnosis that has come recently, and you're trying to come to terms with it? The cares of life that can weigh you down? I think God prepares us for the adversities of life, but we have to be constantly building up our faith, growing in His word, so that when those challenges come - and they will - we have a reservoir of confidence in the Lord and the streams of living water that can sustain us as we walk through the difficult times. Sanya Richards-Ross is an example of someone who walks upon that firm foundation.
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