Most people are familiar with the convoluted sayings of baseball Hall-of-Famer Yogi Berra. Berra was the catcher, and later the manager, of the legendary New York Yankees. Some of the misstatements attributed to Yogi are:

“A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”

“It gets late early this time of year.”

“If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

“I usually take a two hour nap, from one o’clock to four.”

“If you can’t imitate him, don’t copy him.”

“If I didn’t wake up, I’d still be sleeping.”

“It ain’t over till it’s over.”

Once a reporter asked him what he was going to do about the fact that he was in a batting slump. Yogi looked at the reporter with surprise and said, “Slump? I ain’t in no slump. I just ain’t hitting!”

There is undeniable wisdom in his perspective. It’s the difference between seeing your problems as a temporary situation or a permanent condition. “Not hitting” is a game-to-game struggle; a “slump” lasts indefinitely.

The Bible teaches that believers can strike the word “slump” from their vocabulary. We may face challenges and even severe setbacks, but we have God’s guarantee that it will not last. His words to Jeremiah certainly apply to us today:

“And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee” (Jeremiah 1:19).

Be careful of the labels you give to the challenges you face. There really is a difference between seeing your problems as a temporary situation or a permanent condition. Remember that the problems will not last forever, and by God’s grace, it won’t be long until you’re hitting once again.