Faithful Effort

Several years ago, I watched a short video from a weight-lifting competition. The two competitors had to deadlift a huge amount of weight — over 200 pounds — as many times as they could within the allotted time. Whoever completed the most repetitions before time ran out won the competition.

Both men showed an outstanding display of strength and endurance. However, when the first man reached his limit, he responded in a way that impressed me. He quickly turned to the competitor who had bested him and cheered for him to keep going! With his amazing performance and his highly respectful sportsmanship, the man who lost the competition showed how big and strong he was — literally and figuratively.

Sometimes in our walk with Jesus Christ, our effort in pursuing a goal doesn’t yield the success we want. Thankfully, in Christ Jesus, our effort is never in vain when we embrace God’s grace and mercy. We have no need to be ashamed when we’ve given our all and done what we can to glorify God.