Respond

I was reading our newspaper, The Item, yesterday about a volleyball tournament having to be relocated from Sumter to Spartanburg, which is three hours away.  This is because of damages due to flooding in our area.  The article was about whether or not moving the tournament would affect the high school students who would be playing it.  Rip Riley, who is the coach for Wilson Hall, had this to say about it:  "We told the girls when you face adversity, it's 10% of what happens and 90% of how you handle it."

I've never met Rip Riley.

I don't know much about volleyball.

But, I do know those were great words of wisdom!

Stuff happens.  Tough times come our way.  It's part of life.  It can be really unpleasant.  And we often aren't in control of what hits us.  That's usually out of our hands.  But we absolutely can control how we respond to it.  We can choose to stay calm, make necessary adjustments, persevere, and work through it.  The possibility lies within us (thanks be to God!) to still succeed when our days get challenging.

"Don't be a victim of life."  That's what my dad taught me.  And he was right.  Don't roll over, play dead, and quit when the going gets tough.

Have you been knocked down?  Whisper a prayer.  Get back up on your feet.  Respond with courage, patience, and a determination to win anyway!