Keep Swinging!!!

A few years back the Detroit Tigers were having a horrible season. At the end of April they were on track to becoming the losingest team in the history of baseball. They didn't quite make it, but they did manage to set an American League record for most losses (119) in a single season.

If you are a Detroit Tigers fan, it was a long winter! But just two seasons later, the Tigers were on track to becoming the winningest team in baseball, breaking a record set by Chicago in 1906. They didn't quite make that record, but they still had a great season.

Quick turn around, wasn't it? This reversal didn't happen by accident, and how it happened is best described by the experts, but here's the point I want you to pick up on today: It happened. The worst team in baseball in one season became one of the best teams in baseball just a few seasons later.

Personally and professionally we all endure losing seasons from time to time. A losing season may tell us that it's time to start over, but it doesn't tell us it's time to quit. If you've suffered some setbacks in life, whether in your family or job or school, first remember that you're not alone. And second, it doesn't mean that your best days are forever behind you. There's a big season right around the corner.

I've always found the words of the prophet Isaiah comforting. He wrote: "When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. Do not be afraid, for I am with you." (Isaiah 43:2 & 5)

For those who trust in God, we have no reason to fear because He is with us. Trials and troubles are cyclical, but the promises of God are permanent.

If you're where the Tigers were in 2003, look at where they are now. This can be you. I encourage you today, keep swinging the bat. Keep running the bases. Don't give up. You may be struggling in certain areas now, but those struggles are temporary. You'll experience a turn around, because God's promises are forever.