Ahh, the new skating season is upon us! With our first competition about a month away, (Dec 3rd) I know many skaters already start feeling nervous and excited because that's how I felt! The start of a new season can be challenging because it usually means we start competing in new events. New experiences will start heading our way, and sometimes we don't always know if we are prepared for them. 

Last week we talked about the idea of waiting. Specifically, how it related to hope in God. He is patient, but especially in these days, we are not. We want everything right now, including the gold metal and the high scores in our new events. Most likely, we won't start seeing results like that until later on in the season. What's worse, it's normal to make silly mistakes that cause you to fumble when competing in a new event. Throughout the year when you feel like you have endured too many lop-sided losses, God wants you to simply trust in Him. He knows when you work hard but still sometimes come up short. When you are weary, He promises to give you strength when you trust in Him. There is a verse in the Bible that says, "But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31. 

It says those who wait on God will find new strength. They will fly, run, walk, and even skate without loosing heart. We just need to develop the discipline of waiting on God to be our strength and bring about a better ending. Remember, if it's not good, then He's not done yet. Continue to endure through the struggles of entering a new season and new events, and you'll find that by the end of the year you won't recognize who you were when you started out. You'll see it was all for a reason and worth it.