The Sandbag Times Issue No:33

You can win...
All of us, at some point, has a personal battle, or something
we strive to achieve or maybe a race we train for. whatever, it
is always something we try with all of our might to achieve.
This last two weeks has seen me win of of the hardest battles
of my life. It’s true, I am still reeling from it but I was also
reminded of a reflection I wrote some time ago called
Winners and Losers. I hope you like it.
It is true that failure and losing are essential parts of success
and winning. I look with awe at our tennis ace, Andy Murray.
It is not so long ago that we saw his disappointment at losing
in the final of Wimbledon. Disappointment, frustration,
exhaustion, I really felt for him. It seemed for years he could
not quite get to the heights he wanted, no matter how he tried
it just wasn't happening. Then all of a sudden, a year later, it
all started to fall into place. Everything paid off and he lifted
the first of two Wimbledon titles. Success was just beginning.
He is now the World's No:1 and he has just about won everything
going. But to get there he had to lose and fail over and
over again, each time making himself a little more experienced
and a little stronger.
The essence of his success was the willingness to keep trying
and that old virtue, patience.
Contrary to popular belief, losing and failure are nothing more
than processes to success and normally happen when you
are not ready to win or succeed yet. The important thing here
is to keep trying. This has been such a hard, personal battle
for me. The amount of times I have almost given up over my
own illness is unreal but every time I think that way, there is a
very small part of me that pushes me on to keep trying and to
keep living. I know in my heart that the little bit of me is starting
to get bigger and bigger because I asked for God's help. I
didn't get help straight away, I had to fail a few times more
before I saw the road I needed to walk down to win. I haven't
won yet but I feel my first title is just around the corner. Going
back to Psalms, I found this: Psalm 37:23-24 “The Lord
makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him though
he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with
his hand.” Again, a great bible verse that inspires us to go on.
Lyricist and Novelist Paulo Coelho once wrote “Defeat is for
the valiant. Only they will know the honour of losing and the
joy of winning. I am not here to tell you that defeat is a part of
life: we all know that. Only the defeated know Love. Because
it is in the realm of love that we fight our first battles – and
generally lose. I am here to tell you that there are people who
have never been defeated. They are the ones who never
fought. They managed to avoid scars, humiliations, feelings of
helplessness, as well as those moments when even warriors
doubt the existence of God.’’
No matter how many times you have failed or lost, you are
not a loser or failure. You just haven't won or succeeded yet.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 “Do you not know that in a race all the
runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way
as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games
goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not
last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do
not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my
body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to
others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
God bless, stay safe and have faith in all you do.
Until next month, Px
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