Rising Up

Last year while I was still in Middle School I had an undefeated wrestling season - until the last match.
This year I went into the Idaho State Championships seeded #1 and lost it in the end.
This is the story of success and failure in my life.
Last year, my 8th grade year, I went into the biggest tournament of my life at that point seeded almost dead last. I hadn't lost a match yet, but I was seeded almost dead last. And that was fine with me. It gave me the opportunity to prove myself. And I did. I knocked out the #1 seed in the quarter finals and #4 in the semis. In the end, I won. This was one of the greatest moments of my life. I was the best 80 pound middle school wrestler in probably the whole region.
I rose up. I was great. Pain pays off.
The next tournament was the last tournament of the year for me. I was on top of the world. I dominated all the way to the finals. In the finals I pinned my opponent. He was stuck for 30 seconds on his back. I have pictures to prove it. And the referee didn't call it. I was ahead 4-0 with 26 seconds remaining. With 10 seconds I made a mistake, and he pulled a 5 point move and won, 5-4.
I had failed. It was over. I wasn't undefeated.
This win meant so much to me. It meant so much to everyone around me. And I lost it.
This loss did more than break my heart and crush my dreams. It skinned them alive, made them roll in a pile of salt, and beat them with a club before cremating them. That day I decided that I wanted to be the best. Not just 2nd best. Because losing hurt. Bad.
I started this year's wrestling as a small freshmen with large hopes. I started this season with a bang. I tore it up, because I remembered losing. I did well at every tournament I went to, and in all except for one, found myself in the finals. I lost every finals match that I got into except for 2. District and one other. But that was ok because I just kept getting better. I walked into the State tournament seeded #1. I pinned my way through the 1st day without much trouble. The evening of that 1st day I was reading the Bible. I read 1st Corinthians 10:12. It says, "Wherefore he who thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." and I thought, "God is talking to me. He is telling me that I am overconfident and that I need to take this seriously." But I am foolish. I didn't listen to God. And it cost me my state title.
I walked into State the 2nd day once again, on top of the world. 
This was all of my dreams coming true. This was hours of practice and conditioning paying off. Days of eating little or nothing so that I could make weight and hours more of watching film when I was just too tired to practice anymore. 
There was no way I could lose. I had beat this guy 4 times this season.
I walked out onto the mat and started very well. I quickly got a takedown and gained control. But I stopped thinking about the match and started thinking about how good winning would feel. I started making mistakes, just little things that I would normally never do. Pretty soon I was down several points and wondering how I got there. In the end, I made a fatal mistake and got pinned.
After losing I walked about 20 feet off the mat and collapsed. I just couldn't take it. I had dreamed about this moment for years. Except in my dreams I wasn't the one who had lost. In my dreams I walked off the mat victorious. This did more than torture my dreams. All of those people who had hoped for me, supported me, even prayed for me. Those people who had spent time and money to see me succeed. Their hopes for me were shattered.
I cried and prayed for a long time after this. I just couldn't believe it. It took me a long time to figure out why God wanted this to happen, because I know everything happens for a reason.
I finally figured it out.
Once again, God wants me to rise up. He know that my character is more important than me winning. He knew that losing would be hard for me, but he also knew that it would teach me a lot more than winning ever could have. I guess what I'm trying to say is, 
God wants me to be great, therefore he makes life hard for me in order to teach me how to be great. He knows that the only way I will ever improve is if I step up and grit my teeth and move on even though all I want to do is lay there and cry. So I am going to do it. 
Today I am going to rise up. Will you join me?