Print This Article     Email This Article to a Friend       Pressing Through Disappointment   Legendary Minnesota Viking defensive lineman Jim Marshall is famous for a lot of great accomplishments—on and off the football field. But there's one thing he's famous for he'd probably like to forget. Among his many achievements, Jim Marshall will always be remembered for recovering a fumble and running 90 yards in the wrong direction. Marshall's "wrong-way" touchdown illustrates an important point for all of us. You may be running brilliantly... you may be running hard... but you're not on the road to winning unless you're running in the right direction. That's what the apostle Paul meant when he talked about "pressing toward the mark": Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14 NASB) Some people never win in life because they fail to press. Others never taste success because their effort was oriented in the wrong direction. The apostle Paul, one of the most influential people to ever walk the planet, in writing about his success said, "I press toward the mark...." Press Toward the Right Marks Every day I meet good people who are failing in their relationships, in their finances, or in their careers. The reason is almost always either a failure to press or having pressed at a counterfeit "mark." There are a lot of these counterfeit marks shouting for attention today—status, power, fame, and wealth are just a few. But as far as God is concerned, there's only one legitimate mark that will lead you to the winner's circle. That mark is service. Service to others—particularly other brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul, living in the First Century, probably never experienced the sport of bowling. But an illustration he used to describe the key to a successful life certainly brings bowling to mind. If you've ever been bowling, you know that each lane has a series of arrow-shaped marks painted on the boards a few feet in front of the foul line. Good bowlers don't aim the ball at the pins at the end of the lane. They aim at one of the marks. Likewise, God has given us the mark of service to others we can use to steer the course of our lives. The Force of Disappointment What most often stops people from pressing through to victory? More often than any other cause, disappointment robs believers of momentum in pressing toward the mark. "Don't get your hopes up!" How many times in your life have you heard that old cliche? People who tell you not to get your hopes up, mean well. They're trying to protect you from disappointment, but in actuality, they're not doing you a favor. Hope—particularly the Bible-kind of hope—is a powerful thing. When the Bible talks about hope, it's referring to a confident, earnest expectation of God. And faith and hope are the two vital elements in sustaining the consistent effort required to make you a winner. Being in hope doesn't necessarily mean you're in faith, but it's an important start. More than 250 years ago, Alexander Pope wrote, "The man who expects nothing, shall never be disappointed." Pope should have added that the man who expects nothing gets just what he expects—nothing! Your level of "expectation" has everything to do with what you experience in life. If you're not making progress toward your God-given dreams, you may be suffering from the world's most common heart condition—disappointment. In Proverbs 13:12, we find a verse that says: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." A modern translation of that verse would be, "Disappointment can break your heart." The force of disappointment is far more powerful and pervasive than most of us suspect. Just as hope leads to faith, which leads to fulfillment—hope deferred, or disappointment, can lead to discouragement which can ultimately lead to despair. Don't let disappointment take you down that road. Let God's Word rekindle your hope and put you on the road to winning.
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