Be Proactive: Soccer Lessons

"Be proactive not reactive. Anticipate the play."

   Soccer is a game of patterns. If the ball is at a certain point on the field you can usually guess where it will go next. Yes, the ultimate goal is to get the ball towards the opposing team's goal; but, there are many different ways to get it there and events that happen that changes how the ball gets there.

   If you've been playing soccer enough you can usually guess what the player with the ball is going to do next. If you try to stop that player from doing what she wants to do before she does it, that's being proactive. If you let the player pass the ball to another player then try to stop the ball, that's being reactive. Because soccer is a game of patterns, it is possible to anticipate the play. You can move your body to try to stop the play from happening. Or, you can make more work for yourself and wait to try to stop the play until the other team has already completed their plan.

   In life, it is important for us to be proactive and anticipate things as well. When you wake up in the morning you normally know what you are going to do during the day. You have a plan but that plan doesn't always happen. Sometimes unexpected things happen. You could be late to work because of an accident, a family member could get injured, your boss could yell at you, and you get the idea. How can you be proactive and anticipate those things? You can't, but you can be proactive in knowing how you will react to those things.

   2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." God tells us how to deal with certain things in his word. No, it doesn't say "when your boss yells at you, this is how you should react." But, God's word does say to love others. We may be upset at our boss but we shouldn't yell back. We shouldn't be reactive to the situation. We should spend time with God each day. We should be proactive. We should know God's word enough to apply it to our everyday lives.

   So, are you proactive or reactive in your daily life? Do you spend time with God each day so that you can as proactive in your daily life?

   Image from here.