Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.
Michael Chang, a Chinese American from Hoboken, New Jersey, is the undisputed icon for endurance in tennis and perhaps in all of sports. At the age of 17, he was the youngest French Open champion. At the age of 18, he became the youngest main draw match winner in the history of the U.S. Open. Once on the ATP tour, he was consistently ranked in the Top 5 in the world and reached as high as second in the world, a single match win away from being Number One in the world. He is one of only a handful of players to finish in the Top 10 in the world in three different decades. His total career prize money was over $19 million. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2008. All of these accomplishments came primarily due to a single Christ-like character trait - ENDURANCE.
Chang's most famous match victory came in the fourth round of the 1989 French Open when he played the #1 seed and #1 player in the world, Ivan Lendl. Lendl won the first two sets in routine fashion, 6-4, 6-3, and broke Chang's serve in the opening game of the third set. Chang broke back immediately and won the third set 6-3. Midway through the fourth set Change was beset by severe leg cramps. Somehow Chang fought through those cramps and won the fourth set. At 2-1 up in the fifth set the cramping had become so severe that Chang began to walk towards the chair umpire to retire. On the walk to the chair Chang felt the Lord press upon him to finish the match. In obedience, Chang resolved to finish, and he resorted to a variety of survival tactics - moon balls, going for clean winners early in each point, even an underhanded serve. On match point on Lendl's serve Chang stood nearly on the service line to break Lendl's concentration. Sure enough, Lendl double faulted on match point, and seven days later Michael Chang was a 17 year-old French Open champion.
The match with Lendl and the French Open championship gave Chang a platform for glorifying the Name of Jesus Christ that is nearly unmatched in sports. The blessing and privilege came from Chang's enduring obedience to God's call on His life. It is the same for us. God's greatest blessings for us come when we endure in obedience through trials and hardship. In 2 Timothy 2:12 we have The Word's Promise, "If we endure, we will reign with Him."
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank You for the example of Michael Chang. Please teach me and help me to endure in my tennis matches, and to endure and obey You through the trials and hardships of life. Amen in the Name of Jesus.
