You know, there are many times where I watch something and then it hits me that there is some sort of way to connect it to a spiritual discipline. That happened one day when I was watching an orange juice commercial.
The commercial starts with a lady drinking a cup of orange juice. There is a table and many people sitting around it. The lady asks them what is going to happen to her that day. The people go around and tell her exactly what is going to happen at the exact time it will happen; and none of it is good. The lady takes each event in stride. At the end she says, "good thing I had my orange juice."
Well, that commercial is a lot like us and the Holy Spirit. There have been many days where I feel like almost everything is going wrong. But then I feel a nudge from the Holy Spirit, a God coincidence happens, or a verse or song comes to mind at just the right moment. Without the Spirit, I'm not sure I would make it through days like that.
God is a good father. He is three in one for a reason. Jesus came to complete the work on the cross. Then he told the disciples he had to leave but he wouldn't leave us alone. He would send a helper to be with us and guide us. That is the Holy Spirit. While we may not be able to see him, he is there. And it's nice to know that he is there, and we can take on each day with him.
So, are you taking on each day with the Holy Spirit? How can you grow closer to God so you can feel the Spirit's leading more?
Have you ever had a time when you felt the Spirit leading you to do something, but you chose not to do it? I know I have. One of the times that sticks in my brain the most is when I was in sixth grade. I was in a fight with my best friend. We had not been talking for at least three months.
Then one day I got off the bus to walk home. My friend lived on my street. I felt the Spirit leading me to talk with her. To try to reconnect with her. To ask for forgiveness. But my pride got in the way. She was the one who wronged me. She should be the one to say sorry. She should make the first step toward reconnecting.
I didn't talk with her that day. The next day she wasn't on the bus. The cars that were normally at her house were gone. I had known they were moving but I had no idea it would be so soon. The spirit knew. The spirit told me to reconcile with her, but I chose not to listen. Now, later I did try to say sorry, but she was not receptive to it. Who knows, if I had tried to reconcile that day, maybe she would have been my friend again. I felt sorry and ashamed for not listening to the spirits leading.
Another time I was at a church event. I was running the sound system. I had just turned the lights down for prayer and began playing a prayer playlist. The person up front was praying. Suddenly, I had a vision of someone I hadn't talked to or heard from in over a year. I saw her talking at the microphone in front of everyone. I heard her ask for prayer.
I'm not going to lie, part of me didn't want to text her even though that's what I felt the Spirit telling me to do. I didn't want to because this was a girl who had been after my boyfriend. A girl who told me she hated me. And she had cut us off when we tried to help her. But I knew I should listen.
I texted her that I felt the Spirit leading me to pray for her. Then prayed for her to grow in God and that she would be blessed. I heard back from her. She thanked me and asked me to pray for some more specific things and I did. I felt such peace and joy after I did that. And I don't know what me choosing to do that did for that girl, but we are called to follow the Spirit's leading. We may not see the outcome but it's our job to plant the seeds.
So, are you following the Spirit's leading? How can you grow closer to God so you can know what he wants you to do?
My husband and I enjoy the sport of archery. One day, after about twelve classes, I was shooting with a different bow. When you are shooting archery, you would think the goal would be to hit the bullseye every time. It is, but it takes a lot of steps to do that. If you have a sight, a tool that helps you aim, then your goal is to get a good grouping. That means you do everything consistently aiming at the middle of the target with your sight. If your sight is off, then you may not hit the bullseye. You shoot a round of three arrows then, if they group well, you move the sight based on where the grouping is.
I moved my sight this day until I couldn't move it any farther to the right. But my arrows were still going to the right of the target. Different instructors kept coming over to try to help me figure out why they kept going to the right. They adjusted my technique in different ways, but the arrows kept going right.
Finally, one of the lead instructors came over. She watched what I did. Then she said, "your technique looks good. Let me look at your bow." She looked at the bow and realized that it was the bow that was the problem. It was not meant to be shot that far for one thing. For another, it was a bow that wasn't really meant to have a sight so that made it harder. The instructor went to get me a different bow.
I was thinking about how that event related to life. Sometimes it can feel like you are doing everything right, but things don't work out. You can show love to others, serve, grow in God by reading the Bible and praying, etc. but sometimes bad things still happen. Your friend still leaves, your job is still a stressor, you are having financial troubles, or whatever the problem is.
Now, obviously, no one is perfect but there are times where you just feel like you are doing everything you can to make the situation better but it's still not being fixed. Sometimes it's not you. Sometimes it is a test or a trial. Other times maybe Satan is attacking you. Whatever the reason, take heart. Just because things don't seem to be working out doesn't mean what you are doing isn't good. Keep pressing on and into God. Trust in his perfect plan. Then, one day, you will hit that bullseye.
So, are you in a test or trial right now? Are you still doing your best to do what's right? If not, what can you do to grow in God and do what is right?
Have you ever had a time where you felt like you were just spiritually dry? I mean you know what you believe. You know God is with you. You know he's helped you through hard times. You trust him. But you just don't feel the spirit in your life the way you used to?
That happened to me after I got married. I'm not blaming my marriage but that's just the time period where I felt it most recently. I began to wonder why I felt that way. I knew Paul had talked about how people who are married focus more on the needs of their spouse and family, but it felt like there was something more there.
I knew how I felt, and if you've been there, you know how you felt, but what do you do when you feel that way? The first step I took was I prayed. I asked God why I was feeling this way. I was still going to church, doing devotionals, listening to the word, listening to Christian songs, and doing all the things to get fed spiritually but it wasn't working so I didn't understand. That's when I realized I had been going through a season of going through the motions.
You know when you just stick to the same routine but don't let it change you? When you lose focus of what should have number one priority. That's what happened. I was still doing all the things, but it was becoming a checklist instead of something that was truly digging deep into me, making me a tad uncomfortable, changing, and challenging me. That's a problem.
We should always be growing. It just depends on where we get our nutrients from as to if we are growing toward the Son or toward Satan. Instead of going through the motions I began to stop and meditate on each thing I was doing. If I read a verse, I would pause and think about how those words impacted me. If I listened to a song, I tried to let the words penetrate my heart and connect me to the Spirit. I paused, and that's something we all need to do from time to time to ensure we are not just going through the motions.
So, have you gone through a season of spiritual dryness? How can you grow in God each day?
One day I was at work and one of my coworkers came to give us a break. She also wanted to know when we were all getting together for dinner. Now, this was no easy feat to plan as some of the people had vastly different schedules.
I, jokingly, said I was insulted because she didn’t mention inviting me earlier. She said she was planning on it, with one caveat. She said the games we were playing there wouldn’t be ones that were "clean." I said I like playing games but I'm sure we can make the fun and clean. She said, "girl you got to leave that bible stuff at home." I replied, "the bible is with me wherever I go."
I reflected on that conversation. I've been a Christian pretty much my whole life. But there used to be a time where I didn’t necessarily have the Bible hidden in my heart. I didn’t always act like Christ.
Now I've grown and I've learned how important the Bible is. It is the word of God. He gave it to us for encouragement, for guidance, and because he loves us. I can choose to sit idly by as someone sins or makes choices that could be dangerous. Or, I can choose to say, "I don’t agree with that, but I love you anyway." I don’t have to harp on them. I don’t have to get into an argument. And I definitely don’t have to judge who they are, where they come from, or what they are doing. I can show God's love just by choosing not to engage in the sin and still loving that person.
But, in order to know what is right, we must know the word of God. That's why we need to get into the word, so it seeps into us. We need to let the words penetrate us, change us, and seep out of us.
So, is the bible with you wherever you go? How can you know the word and grow in God?
One day I was at
worship and a song was playing. It was a song I hadn't heard before, but the
tune sounded familiar. For some reason the lyrics kept changing in my mind. I
didn't know why my brain kept trying to find different lyrics for the song. I
tried to focus on the actual song lyrics, but it wouldn't let me be. The
problem was I couldn't find the actual words to the song in my brain. It was
just a tune.
I sat down and
cleared my mind. It took a bit for the spirit to rest and clear my mind. When
it did, I was able to find the words. The song lyrics were "through the
calm and through the storm." I knew they were to a different song, but I
couldn't figure out the rest of the lyrics for some reason. Finally, after
sitting and listening to the spirit for a while I heard, "oh no you never
let go."
It was like a
lightbulb went off. I had found the title to the song. The funny thing was I
had just gone through an illness, and it took a lot out of me physically,
mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. And I was about to go into a work week
where I knew I would face some new challenges. It felt like God was telling me
that I needed to just stop and listen. You never know what you will hear when
you do that. He was reminding me that I need to remember that he is always with
me. Even when I'm at my lowest, he is still with me. He never lets go.
So, have you
been listening to the spirit? What do you feel when you do listen to the
spirit? How can you grow in God today?
There are times I don’t feel worthy. I've talked with
Nate (my husband) about how I don’t feel worthy of him. He is a man who is
walking with God. He hears from God. He is following Gods calling for his life.
There are
definitely times I don’t feel worthy of God. I am a sinner. I mess up daily. I don’t
deserve mercy and compassion, yet God gives me it. He gives you it. He loves us
so much that he died for us. That alone makes us worthy, nothing else we do or
say.
Yet, that
doesn't mean we are to still walk in sin. Knowingly or unknowingly we will
still sin. The point is we are to try to walk in a manner worthy to God.
Colossians 1:10 says, "So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully
pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the
knowledge of God." We are to be growing in God. We are to want to do what
God calls us to do. We are to bear his good fruit by following him. We are to
want to know more about him and his ways. That's how we walk in a way worthy or
him.
So, are you
walking in a manner worthy of God? What can you do to grow in God each day?
My dog, Jak Jak loves to play. One day I was playing with him while he had the zoomies (was running back and forth from room to room). I got in a pounce position when he ran back to me. Then I started to move slowly toward the pantry. I started the scary music... "dun nu.... dun nu... dun dun dun dun.. dun dun.. dun dun dun dun.. dun dun..." Out of the pantry, I pulled.... a hairy, scary... box of Fruity Pebbles.
Jak cocked his head. Then he began to wag his tail. I laughed and poured my cereal. But that got me thinking about how I knew what I was going to pull out of the pantry wasn't scary. Jak didn't know that. He assumed that what was coming out of that was bad.
It seems silly but how many times do we do that? How many times do we assume that a situation or a problem will be scary? How many times does God call us to do something that scares us?
It reminds me of Moses' story. He was a prince of Egypt. He left but God called him to go back. The Egyptians didn't like him, and his people didn't like him that much either. He was scared. Yet God was with him. He is with you too.
We have no reason to fear because God is on our side. God is more powerful than anything we face. He can destroy strongholds and knock down any problem we face. Sometimes he does that. Other times he doesn't. But no matter what he has a plan, and we can trust him.
So, are you trusting God? How often are you spending time with God so you know his word and that you can trust him?
Some of you may be wondering, “is it too late for me? Am I too far gone that I could ever be washed clean, be made pure?” Some of you may have made the choice to sin when you didn’t even know what you were doing was wrong, or a sin. Others of you may have made a conscientious choice. You knew what you were doing was wrong but you chose to gratify your carnal desires for a temporary high. Is it too late for you?
Here’s the thing. Sin is like a cage, or a jail cell. You are inside it thinking that you are on top of the world but it is a temporary fix. It’s like putting a band aid on a cut then cutting it open again yourself. You are trapped but it doesn’t seem like you are because it’s your choice to keep sinning. Now, you may be saying, “if this is something I can choose to escape then why am I in the cage or jail that is locked?” The door isn’t locked. The door is wide open. You just have to choose to take one step, then another, and another until you are out and free.
Who opened the door you may be asking? Jesus did. He died to take on the blackness of your sin. If you accept him as your savior and cleanse yourself in his blood then you are free. The chains, the cell, the bondage of sin holds you no more. It cannot be that easy, can it? 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” He forgives our sins and cleanses us from ALL unrighteousness. That time you lied about where you were going. The time you stole candy from the store. When you bought that dope to get high. When you were in your room alone looking at porn. The time you lost your patience and yelled at your family in anger. ALL OF IT IS WASHED AWAY!
But it is your choice. You can choose to stay in the jail with the door open. Or you can choose God. You can choose purity.
So, what is your choice? If you have already chosen purity, how can your continue to grow in God and stay pure?
This year Camp YoliJwa's theme is Rooted. I taught the young adults at their family camp this week. We discussed what good roots are, bad roots, and the fruits of the spirit. Now, with my husband being a landscaper I thought a lot about what we can learn from plants and there's quite a bit. First, plants need deep roots. The roots give them their nutrients and help them get water from the soil. If a root is bad or isn't in a good spot to do that then it isn't doing what the plant requires of it. The same can be said of us. We are plants that need deep roots in the right places. We need roots in the word. If we don't have that we will not grow properly. Plants also need a balance of space and closeness. If a plant doesn't have plenty of space it will be fighting other plants for nutrients, water, and sun light. If we don't have space to grow, be on our own path, or time away from others our relationship with God may be in jeopardy. We need to focus on our growth in God so that we can help others with their growth. If we are too far or too close to others that can cause problems. Too far and we don't make an impact on others for the good of the kingdom of God. Too close and we miss out on our alone time with God. Or we are fighting for the nutrients and knowledge we need. If we are too close or comparing ourselves to others, we miss out on the path and plan God has for us. And if we don't take time to be in silence with God we miss out on connecting with him and learning from him. A plants job is to produce fruit. Plants try to produce good fruit but that doesn't always happen. We can produce good or bad fruit too. Galatians 5:19-26 talks about the fruits of the flesh and the fruits of the spirit. We are to produce the things of God, or the fruits of the spirit. We are not to produce the fruits of the flesh. The things of the flesh are the things of the world. The things of the world will pass away. Only the fruit of the spirit will last and matter in heaven. Finally, a plant doesn't eat its own fruit. The point of fruit is to spread the plant to other places so others like it can grow. The purpose of our lives is not to glorify ourselves. Rather our purpose is to reflect God's glory. Our purpose is to produce fruit that others see that then get spread to others. It helps others grow in their faith. People look at us and see we are different. The fruit of the spirit that we produce is different from the fruit of the flesh. So, what kind of roots do you have? What fruit are you producing? How can you keep growing in God?
You know, our bodies are amazing things. One of the most
fascinating parts of our bodies is our brain. Scientists are still trying to
figure out our brains. One area they just cannot seem to figure out is our
thoughts. Sure, you can see reactions in the brain when we have a thought, but
you cannot know exactly what that thought is. I think that’s one reason why
thoughts are so powerful, only you can control them and only you know what your
thoughts are.
Whatever thoughts you think about, I am fairly certain
that you sometimes have trouble controlling your thoughts. How do we do that?
Can we do that? It seems even if you have the best intentions and wish you
could stop thinking negative things, they just come back up. I have found that
thoughts can be fit into a few categories.
Surface level immediate thoughts: things you think about
that don’t have much meaning. I mean, while I believe the thought, “I would
really like a chocolate milkshake” is an incredible thought it doesn’t serve
much in the long run (other than maybe getting a milkshake).
Surface level future thoughts: this is when you think
about things you need to do. Like get groceries or get some things done for
that project at work.
Intelligent intellectual thoughts: this is my way of
saying deep thinking. Most of the time, I feel, our brains don’t go into deep
thinking unless we are in school, in a thought-provoking conversation, reading
a book, etc. (could even borderline throw overthinking in here). An important
note, this type of thinking can be considered both good and bad depending on
what you are thinking about.
Negative woe is me thoughts: when it is a rainy day and
all thoughts you have are just bad. Like, can things get much worse thoughts?
Not very healthy thoughts.
Godly grateful thoughts: Not that things are always going
to be amazing in our lives but there is always something to be grateful for.
While there may be some other areas of thought, many of
them could probably fit into these categories. Looking at these categories, ask
yourself which ones tend to go through your brain the most? I’m not saying that
there is any wrong category to be in the most. It’s okay if you have all these
kinds of thoughts. But I’m saying you should not be stuck in just one of these
areas of thought. Well, not stuck in all but one.
Godly grateful thoughts should be where we land most of
the time. It would be amazing if we were stuck (not in a bad way) in that area
of thought. But I’m thinking that much of the time that’s not where your
thoughts land. I’m the same way. How then do we change our thinking so we can
have more Godly grateful thoughts?
First off, I want to remind you that it is possible to
change our way of thinking lest you be tempted to say, it’s impossible (which
you should not say as nothing is impossible with God). 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
says, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the
contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments
and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we
take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” See, Satan has this
horrid habit of trying to get into our brains. He likes to tell us lies. He
likes to deceive. He likes to detain us. I think that’s why Paul told the
Corinthians that they can take their thoughts captive. We have the power,
through Christ, to tell Satan to get out!
Now how do we change our thinking? We think about
“whatever.” What do you mean “whatever?!” I already think about whatever I want
daily and that hasn’t helped me! I mean we think of the whatever verse.
Philippians 4:8 says “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever
things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be
any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” These are the
things our thoughts should be focused on. Focused on Christ-like thoughts.
Focused on His word so we can refute the lies of the liar. Focused on the truth
about how God feels about us. Focused on reflecting God’s glory in all we
think, say, and do. Because, while we may not be able to see and know your
thoughts, there is someone who does.
So, do you have a problem with thinking too many surface
level or negative thoughts? What will you do to change your way of thinking? I
encourage you to make an action plan today to help you change your way of
thinking.
Each year I choose a spiritual resolution. This year I prayed about it and God led me to I choose patience. That was tested through work, relationships, soccer, and life in general. I would take a step back each time I felt impatience coming on and talk with God.
As the year went on, I felt something I hadn't felt before. I felt God tugging on me to add another resolution. This one was also a difficult one for me: prayer. When you think about it, patience and prayer go hand in hand. But I had been holding off on those resolutions because I knew they would be hard for me. Yet, through God, I have been able to work on both of them.
When trying times would come up, not only would I pause, but I would pray. I would spend time each day with God in prayer. Then, midway through the year, something happened.
I was tested. I was myself. I was honest. And it came back to bite me. I didn't understand. Why would God allow this to happen if I'm following him?
The final "p" I was asked to do this year was some pruning. I had been holding on tightly to my reputation. I prided myself on what others thought about me. I wanted others to praise me. It took that testing and reflection for me to realize what I needed to let go of.
Now, I'm not going to lie, the pruning hurt. But, in the end, it was a good hurt because I grew in God through it. It also reminded me that I am continually growing in God; and he is going to grow me as I keep my eyes fixed on him.
So, what is God asking you to grow in? How can you keep your eyes fixed on him? What might God be asking you to prune, or get rid of, today?
As a teacher, I listen to a lot of children's music. One song that is very popular lately is "Nobody Like U" from the movie Turning Red. Some of the lyrics are:
"I've never met nobody like you
Had friends, and I've had buddies, it's true
But they don't turn my tummy the way you do
I've never met nobody like you"
The kids love singing this song. As I was listening to them sing, I thought about the lyrics. "I've never me nobody like you, Had friends, and I've had buddies, it's true." I know the song was relating it to an earthly relationship, but I couldn't help but relate it to our relationship with God.
Jeremiah 10:6 says, "There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might." It's true, I've never met anyone like him. He's perfect, loving, caring, intelligent, strong, and so much more. All of his attributes turn my tummy because, though he is perfect, he chooses to love me. He chooses to love you. He sent his son to die for us then sent the holy spirit to be our counselor. That is something that should turn our stomachs.
Some more lyrics in the song are:
"You're never not on my mind, oh my, oh my
I'm never not by your side, your side, your side
I'm never gon' let you cry, oh, cry, don't cry
I'll never not be your ride or die, alright"
I just picture God singing this to us. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." His love for us is so much that we are always on his mind. He is always with us. While we may cry, God feels those tears. He comes to comfort us. His love encircles us in a warm embrace. He's always with us. That’s why there is no one like him.
So, do you believe that God is always with you? What can you do to grow in your relationship with God?
If you know me, you know I'm a fixer. If a problem comes up, I try to think of ways to solve it as quick as possible. There are times that works and times it does not. Its especially hard for me when someone I care for is hurting because of a problem. More than anything I want to take the problem away. Most of the time that's not possible.
One time this happened when my friend's grandfather died. I was sad because I knew the grandfather. But I knew my friend was sadder. Each time I saw him, I asked how he was doing. I asked if I could do anything for him. This eventually annoyed him because there wasn't anything anyone could do.
I didn't know what else to do. I wanted to show my friend I cared but how could I? That's when I decided to pray. Now, it's good that I decided to pray eventually. But after things had settled, I asked myself a question: why was my last step prayer?
Many times people, like me, don't want to ask for help. We want to be independent, self-sufficient, and it makes us proud when we are. But that's the problem: not admitting we have a problem and need help. When we pray, we are inviting our creator into our lives. When we pray, we are admitting we can't do it all on our own. When we pray, we are working on growing in God.
See, prayer should not be the last step. It should be the first. The Bible says we are to pray without ceasing. We pray in the morning when we get up, at breakfast, as you are driving in your car, at work when that coworker or customer annoys you, when things are going well, when problems happen, and every second. Our thoughts should be on our creator and growing in him. Prayer should be first, not last.
So, when problems happen, what's your first step? How can you be better at praying consistently? How can you grow in God today?
I am a soccer player. I've played every position on the
field. When I was a junior in high school I decided to try to become a better
goalkeeper. In order to do that, I sat on the couch all day watching TV....
just checking to make sure you are still with me.
When I became a keeper I had to work hard to get my body in shape, learn how to
dive, how to catch the ball, when to come out to get the ball, and so much
more. If I didn't work at it I wouldn't have been starting goalie at LBC for 4
years, I wouldn't have broken LBC's shutout record, and I wouldn't have become
a better person and coach.
What would've happened if I didn't work hard at being a goalie? I wouldn't have
made an impact on LBC's soccer team, I wouldn't have become a keeper, and I
wouldn't have become a better person.
In the movie Kung Fu Panda 3 Master Shifu has a conversation with his
apprentice, Po. Shifu: "If you only do what you can do, you'll never be
better than what you are." Po: "But I like who I am!" Shifu:
"You don't even know who you are."
"If you only do what you can do, you'll never be better than what you
are." If we stay stagnant, if we don't try to improve, then we will never
get better. If you don't try to learn how to cook, you'll burn your food. If
you don't try to learn how to drive, the you'll crash your car. If you don't
try to grow in God, then God will not be able to use you for his glory.
1 Corinthians 10:31 says: "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you
do, do all to the glory of God." God gives us many gifts. He wants to be
able to use us in his story. He wants us to be able to grow in him. Why does he
want that?
Po said he likes who he is. Shifu replied "you don't even know who you
are." Who are you? You are a child of God (John.1.12). If you have
accepted Christ as your savior then you are a child of God. Jesus walks with
you and wants to help you grow in him. Now that you know that/have been
reminded of that will you try to grow in him? Will you work hard for his glory?
How can you work hard for him today?
Being a preschool teacher, I get to do many fun
activities. One of those activities is I get to play with cool sensory items.
The sensory item that is one of my favorites is oobleck.
Oobleck is a funny thing. It is not quite a liquid and
not quite a solid. This goo is something you can mold into basic shapes,
bounce, and stretch. Children love oobleck because of these things.
The concepts of oobleck are not just good for children.
Oobleck can teach us important ideals as well. For example, oobleck is a very
stretchy substance. As Christians we are called not to stay stagnant. We need
to be in the word to grow and get to know our savior. He stretches and molds us
to be more like him.
The other important thing oobleck can teach us is to
bounce back. In this life we will face hard times. We can choose to give up in
those hard times or we can choose to not let them beat us. James 1:2-3
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for
you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." Trials
help us grow. We can know that these trials cannot break us if we trust in God.
He will help us bounce through the trial. We will come out of that trial
changed, but we will still have our faith in God if we walk through it with
him.
So, when hard times come, what do you do? Are you in the
word each day to grow in God?
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?
When I played soccer in college there were 3 types of
goalies: goalies who really didn't know what they were doing/were new, goalies
who knew what they were doing and were cocky about it, and goalies who knew
what they were doing but were not cocky they were confident. I remember one
keeper in particular was particularly cocky. She would keep the ball at her
feet a long time until one of our players ran up to her and almost hit her. She
would yell in a mean tone at her teammates. She would run out at players to
scare them. She did more, but you get my point.
One day we were playing a game against them. It was our
Homecoming day and we had to defend our field. My team came out swinging. We
scored 7 goals that game against this keeper. She wasn't cocky that day. She
was angry. She was angry at her team. She came into that game thinking her team
was going to win and she would get another shut out. Instead she hurt her team
more.
That's the problem with being cocky: you think that you
are the greatest thing since sliced bread and you can't own up to your own
mistakes. Confidence is different. Confidence is different because of where, or
who, it comes from. If you are confident it is most likely because you are
doing something you've done for a long time. You have had practice because you
know what you are doing. But, did you know that you can have confidence in
everything that you do?
2 Timothy 1:7 says: "For God gave us a spirit not of
fear but of power and love and self-control." We have power in the Lord.
He walks with us each day. He guides our steps and wants us to follow him. If
we follow his ways we can have confidence that he is with us. Now, that doesn't
mean that we should be cocky because of this.
James 4:10 says: "Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will exalt you." If we exalt ourselves, then God will not exalt us.
Cocky is the opposite of humble. There's a very fine balance between being
confident in the Lord, yet humble, and being prideful. If we go around praising
ourselves all the time, that's not humility. If we expect things and people to
do things for us that's not humility, that's entitlement. You don't deserve
anything you have. The only thing you deserve is death. BUT (this is where hope
comes), because God sent his son to die for our sins we can have confidence. We
have been redeemed and that's why we can be confident. That's why we should
have confidence in the talents God gave us. That's why we should use our
talents to reflect God's glory. He deserves all the honor.
So, are you confident or cocky? Do you have confidence in
God or in your own abilities? How can you reflect God's glory by showing
humility today?
"Respect our team, the coaches, the other team, the
refs and yourselves."
Right before every game the coaches and the captains meet
with the refs. During that time the refs do a little speech. In that speech the
refs say to basically be respectful of the fans, refs, the opposing team, and
your team. They need to do that because nowadays people have issues respecting
just about anyone, even themselves sometimes.
Thus why I began to say this quote to my team. Was it
hard at times? Yes, especially when the other team is swearing at you, the refs
are missing blatant calls, or the fans are heckling you. I remember many times
I'd have to calm my team down because they'd want to retaliate. But, what does
retaliating actually do? It just makes everyone angrier. Then things get out of
control and people get hurt.
Respect is something that I believe is beginning to be
lost nowadays. People don't say sorry, excuse me, please, or thank you. People
look out only for themselves. People don't respect their elders, police
officers, doctors, teachers, and many more jobs that used to have automatic
respect. Yes, I know some people in those professions have messed up but that
doesn't mean that all people in those professions are bad.
Romans 12:10 says: "Love one another with brotherly
affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." Respect could also be
known as love. Before you say or do something put of anger you need to think.
Are you going to show love and respect in what you are about to do? It's okay
to have emotions but in acting in them will you regret what you did or hurt
someone you love? It's not always easy to respect everyone yet that's what we
are called to do. That's how people will see we are different.
So, are you showing respect to others? What can
you do to show respect to someone today? Image from here.
