From Kevin Funk…

My daughter’s life has been taking a few turns for the worse as of late. I mean multiple bumps in the road. It all started last June when my daughter crashed and burned into the spring board at gymnastics. The coaches thought she just had a mild concussion.  Only to find out that the curvature a normal person is supposed to have in their neck was not found in Maddie’s neck. She kept complaining of headaches and neckaches but after we finally took her to the doctors, she had not only a concussion but a severe case of whiplash. That injury took her out of gym until October.

The day she was supposed to go back to competitive gymnastics and begin to practice, she broke her growth plate off the top of her left tibia in her leg. Full leg cast for 5 weeks and a full leg brace for 2 more weeks.

Here we are in mid January and Maddie is finally getting back to what she loves. It will be a hard road back to where she was performance wise but she is willing to put in the work.

Is it worth it? I’ve asked her lately if she is willing to put the work into gym again even knowing that it’s going to be tough. She doesn’t even hesitate when she says YES!  This is what she loves to do with zeal and passion. I admire her courage to getting back into game shape.

I wonder if as Christians we tend to get knocked around a bit and throw in the towel. Or do we get back up, shake off the dust, and pursue the One who can make us more and more like Him? Now I love a good fight now and then, usually rooting for the underdog.  But how many time can we get knocked off our feet and get up again? That answer is for you and God to wrestle with. I DO know that it’s easier getting back up when you have people that love you surrounding you. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT).

I love encouragement that I get from my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s like nitro fuel to a drag car. I’m built to run the race God has set before me like a drag car sitting on the starting line. But with a little encouragement(nitro), I am ready to squeal my tires and tear down the track. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works (Hebrews 10:24 NLT). There are so many times my daughter would get down on herself but with some encouragement, she has the strength to get back up and fight.

Our strength comes from God. But God commands us to love and encourage one another here on earth. Is there someone you may be thinking of right now that seems down in the dumps lately or has had a bad run of depression or things that are preoccupying their every thought? I’m telling you from experience, a simple note of encouragement or a phone call to uplift. How about putting your arm around that person in church next Sunday and praying with them? Super powerful things can
happen if we can take a look away from our lives and focus on others.