Walking The Plank

Walking the Plank

We ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering . . . the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

Pushing us, pinning us, trying to crush and destroy us—the imagery in today’s verses is vivid and sobering. Satan is at work to bring us down.

But he’s not winning. The reason? Because of the treasure inside us—the fragile clay jars.

My first year as a head coach in Tampa Bay, we began the year with five straight losses.

To make matters worse, I wasn’t the fans’ first choice to take over as head coach of the Buccaneers—they had hoped for Steve Spurrier, a former Bucs quarterback and successful head coach at Florida and Duke. And I was selling something entirely different than the players had known in Tampa. I had made no secret of the fact that while winning football games was important, it wasn’t the most important thing to me. My faith and my family were foremost in my mind, and I was not only talking about improving the football team on the field but also helping to build an organization grounded in character and integrity.

That strategy is easier to sell when you’re winning. The franchise had never done well, and the number one priority seemed to be to win football games.

And so, here we were, 0–5. But I was able to take comfort in these verses from 2 Corinthians because I knew God was right there with me.

That was a difficult and very public moment, but frankly, that doesn’t rank very high on my personal scorecard of other difficult moments of being pressed, perplexed, hunted down, and knocked down.

We all have them, often when we least expect them. But the treasure within us—Jesus Christ—is the reason why when those moments press in all around us, we will not be crushed, we will not be driven to despair, we will not feel abandoned, and we will not be destroyed. That treasure within those cracked and chipped clay jars of our lives gives us the power and passion we need to get back up and press on.

Whether you are bracing yourself for the inevitable blow or trying to pick yourself up from one that has already landed, Jesus is there to help you get back in the fight.

Uncommon Key > With Christ in your life, you may get knocked down, but you will never get knocked out. And when you do get knocked down, He will help you get back on your feet.