Peacefully Competitive

This past week I've been preparing for a deba--scratch that--I.E. (Individual Events) tournament on Thursday. It's amazing how I can go through this process so many times and yet be taught amazingly new things by the Lord each time.

I've realized the importance (and difficulty) of striking a balance between trust in God and peace in Him, and maintaining a competitive motivation and desire to exceed previous performance. If you've ever been in a competitive environment of any sort (particularly individual) you know the importance--silly though it sounds--of "psyching" yourself up. In order to do well you have to be determined and focused on your goal.

The problem arises, when, after doing poorly in competition I find myself crushed. Defeated, disheartened, discouraged. In those moments I realize how tightly I had my fist clenched around my desires. Yet how do I hold them loosely, but maintain my focus on doing excellently?

As in all spiritual warfare with the enemy within, it is here that I most severely recognize my need for a plan. Thanks to the wisdom of my mother, I've decided that I need to purpose to "debrief" with God after every round. Go into the round and do my very best, and then come out and yeild the results to Him.

One of my biggest prayers for this event is that the Lord would give me a joy in all circumstances, hopefully allowing me to be an encouragement to those around me. Debate/IE tournaments can be such a mix of stress/anxiety/adrenaline/fun/thinking/tiredness that it can get to be quite a mess. It's a great opportunity to lose sight of the truth, yet I know the Lord wants to use this as an opportunity to grow me.

Watch out Nationals... here we come!