Michael Jordan was, arguably, one of the greatest athletes to ever play the game of basketball. On June 11, 1997, Jordan, alongside his team the Chicago Bulls, played against the Utah Jazz in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals. The Bulls ended up winning that game in grand fashion. Overall, it wasn't that special of a game, except for one thing. Michael Jordan played the entire game sick as a dog! High fever, chills, sick to his stomach and weak as a kitten. Despite his trainer telling him there was no way he could play, Jordan got out of bed and hit the court.
Last weekend, I competed in Camp Gladiator Games Finals, in Austin. It is an event that I have participated in for the last three years. Two of those years, I have qualified for Finals. Each year, I train for this event. It is hard. It takes a lot out of you...physically and mentally. It is designed to stretch your athletic limits. Before Camp Gladiator, I had no athletic limits, as I was never an athlete. I can not say that anymore. *smirk*
The week before the event, I woke up with a nasty cough. I went to the doctor, in an attempt to bring it to an end sooner, rather than later. I had Finals coming up and I needed to be healthy. Unfortunately, the medicine didn't really make much of an impact and when I arrived in Austin, I was still suffering with an upper respiratory infection and sinusitis. I had no idea how I was going to be able to perform all of events required for Finals, but I was NOT going to let my team down. Earlier in the week, my husband and my trainer, at separate times, each told me the story of Michael Jordan and "The Flu Game". They said he played one of his best games, even though he was sick. They both told me I needed to be like Michael Jordan. That night, as I was laying in bed, I did the only thing I knew to do...pray. I prayed that God would take away all of the sinus pressure and that He would give me the lung capacity I needed to do my best the next day. I prayed for His divine, supernatural intervention. I told Him that I would give Him every ounce of the glory when it was all over! I prayed the same thing throughout the day on Saturday. Every time we finished an event, I would thank Him and ask Him for "a little bit more".
"One down, four to go, Lord." "Two down, three to go, Father."...and, on it went.
As the day wore on and the events were completed, we began to check the scores. By the end of the five events, we had finished first place in four and second place in the fifth. Not only was my team performing well, *I* was performing well. I coughed and wheezed through the day, but I performed well!! God answered my prayers and gave me EVERYTHING I needed to compete. He is in the business of answering prayers and He answered mine, in a big way! When I think back on everything we did on Saturday, I have no idea how I got through it. Physically, the odds were against me, but my God and Father heard my cries and gave me the strength to do what I needed to do. HE GETS ALL THE GLORY!!!
Saturday evening, my team was announced as the first place team, in our division, and would be moving on to compete in Super Finals, with the top four teams. I took the first leg of the race. As I stood on my mark, waiting for the signal for the race to begin, I prayed one last time. "Lord, just a little bit more, please...just a little bit more." I took a deep breath, coughed one last time, and took to the course. Our team won with a very large lead, making us the #1 Camp Gladiator team in the nation!!! It was an amazing moment, to end an amazing day. That is a memory that I will have and cherish for a lifetime. It makes me emotional when I think about it. I accomplished something that I never thought I would accomplish, under difficult circumstances. I trusted the Lord, asked for His help, and He answered. As a side note, when I woke up on Sunday morning, I felt just as bad as I had been feeling the entire week before. He gives us what we need at the exact time we need it!
The lesson here is that God desires to be a part of our daily lives. He wants to be there for the big things and the little things....ALL the things. He loves His children with an everlasting love. I have felt that love and provision many times in my life, but last Saturday was an extraordinary example of what MY Lord is all about.
Be like Mike, with God in control? Don't mind if I do...
