All Things

Have you ever had a moment where you suddenly gain a deeper understanding of a well-known verse? A time of difficulty or struggle, either mentally or physically, preceding a dawning of clarity? My other favorite verse comes from a moment like that.

In high school, I was part of the school’s tennis team and participated in a club called Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The nationwide club hosted a variety of sports camps during the summer, and I attended one for tennis in Santa Barbara, Calif.

The camp had athletes from multiple sports attending, and it focused on a balance between both spiritual and physical health, along with providing training and practice for each specific sport. A normal day began with quiet time with God followed by a camp-wide warm-up session of stretches and simple exercises on the football field. From there, we went to breakfast, and after, we broke into our different sports and practiced sport-specific drills and trainings. We then took a break for lunch and returned to trainings until dinner. In the evening, we met with our “huddles” – small groups of mixed sports but the same gender—and went to the evening chapel. From there, we had a discussion session with our huddles and went to bed.

The second-to-last day of camp, the routine was slightly different. Instead of going to breakfast after the warm-up, we went to the gym for a grind workout — a series of extreme exercise stations which we rotated through with our huddle. It was during this series of exercises that I had my moment of understanding.

I remember the moment clearly. We had done most of the stations, completing repetitions of box jumps, crunches, dashes, push-ups, and many others. We now came to wall-sits. My legs burned as I struggled to maintain the chair-like position with my back flat against the wall. Sweat mixed with tears on my face to where I couldn’t tell the difference between them. I wanted to quit. I was sore and hungry, and I wanted to be done. So close to the end, and I wanted to give up. And yet, as I sat there, the pain screaming through my body, a small voice echoed in my mind the words of Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Louder and louder it became, “all things. All things. ALL THINGS!”

It clicked. The meaning of “all.” I could do it. With Christ, I can do anything, from the little things, such as this momentary physical challenge, to the big things, such as the life-long spiritual battle with Satan. I can stay one second longer on this wall. I can say “no” one more time to Satan’s temptations. I can trust that Jesus Christ will get me through.

Last week, I spoke about my first favorite verses, Hebrews 13:5-6. In those, God tells us what He will do when we trust Him: be with us, provide for us, and help us, so that we do not have to be afraid. In Philippians 4:13, God tells us what we can do when we trust Him. Together, these verses show that when we trust God, we can overcome any obstacle and accomplish any task without fear because we have His divine strength, help, provision, and presence.

For more information about Fellowship of Christian Athletes, visit fca.org.