Did you ever experience playground rejection? I did. As a child, I was a bookworm with zero athletic skills, so I was lumped with the collective misfits who were never picked, but instead labeled “the rest.” Yep…I can remember one of the kickball captains, who would greedily snatch up all the best players. He would call off his choices quickly, one by one, and then end his string of names with, “and YOU CAN HAVE THE REST.” So, already knowing that I was among the disdained remnant, I was doomed for failure before I even took my turn…and it was humorous, I’m sure, to watch the lackluster attempt I would make at kicking that ball. I was so ready to go ahead and be tagged “out” just so I could skulk away to the back of the line!

Our spiritual walk is compared in several passages to the training and performance of an athlete. I may never have been on a competitive sports team, but I understand the... (Continued