For the Love of Life---Don’t Drop the Ball!

A lesson of encouragement for leaders and teachers.

In the winter of 1971 I decided to try-out for the high school basketball team.  It looked easy enough. I saw basketball as an opportunity to wear a colorful uniform and be the star shooter.  I had not considered what I had to do before I could play the game.  Can you believe that my coach wanted me to put on those ugly heavy basketball shoes and ankle weights and run around the track before school each day?  Then, she rarely allowed time for me to show-off my shooting skills in a scrimmage.  I finally came to the awareness that it was going to take a great deal of sweating, running, and pain to ever get the opportunity to wear that cute uniform! This was not fun, so I dropped the ball, I gave it up; I quit!

Obviously, I did not become a great basketball player.  Instead I dropped the ball on an opportunity for growth. As I look back over my life, I have dropped the ball on several opportunities, resulting in unrealized dreams or goals.  Can you in any way relate?  I am afraid that many of us are guilty of letting life’s doors close before we have reached the desired goal.

Christian leadership is an awesome opportunity to grow and to influence others in the process.  Don’t be tempted to drop the ball on your leadership.  One key to successful leadership is preparation. Just as a football or basketball player desires to be prepared for the games that lie ahead in a season, we too must prepare for life’s opportunities that lie ahead. As I was thinking of how to prepare, I couldn’t help but look at how any ball player must prepare for their season. 

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE BALL

Just as a basketball player must keep their eye on the ball in order to catch it, we too must keep our eyes on God’s Word in order to grab hold of His will for our life.  I have a single friend who was playing softball one Saturday with her coed team.  She was playing outfield when the ball was hit high in the air and was headed in her direction.  She thought to herself, “This is the perfect opportunity to catch this ball and show them I can really play.”  Well, somehow she lost sight of the ball and it hit her smack in the chest! To have success as a ballplayer, one must keep their eye on the ball.  To have success as a Christian leader, one must keep their eye on God’s Word.   If we keep our eyes on God’s truth we will not run ahead of Him, and we will see everyday situations as God given opportunities.  Read, study and memorize the Scripture and catch the opportunities God lies before you each day.  Keep your eyes on the truth of Proverbs 4:13, which says, “Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life.”

KEEP YOUR DEFENSES UP

I remember when I played basketball in junior high school, back in the dark ages, that we played half court.  There were six girls on the team.  Three girls played defense on one side of the court and three girls played offense on the other side.  I was tall and aggressive, so I played defense.  Well, it was kind of boring at times, just sitting there watching the offensive players make shots and all I ever got to do was to keep the other team from making shots and to steal the ball and throw it back to the offensive players.  Defense may seem mundane and boring because it is all about watching, waiting and being alert.  When we realize the importance of defense we begin to give attention to it. I remember a coach once saying, “Defense wins games!” The way the defensive player prepares for a game is by studying the offense of the other team.  We already know about Satan’s tricks, they are as old as time!  The way to take advantage of every opportunity is to be armed with the Word of God.  Scripture memory enables and equips believers to persevere and win the battles that come along. Hiding God’s Word in your heart will prepare you to meet each of the enemy’s offensive attacks and give you truth to share with those you lead or teach as they struggle with temptation.  

KEEP PRACTICING

As a leader, I have found that if I do not discipline myself, then I become ineffective in leading others.  This does not mean that I feel I must live “perfectly”.  When my daughter was in high school I would watch her basketball team practice, they often made mistakes, which led the coach to instruct them on proper technique. Then he had them repeat certain plays over and over again.  When the time of testing came in a game, hopefully the team would remember what they had practiced and would be successful.  As a teacher and a leader I often make mistakes and then the Lord will instruct me on how to better handle something the next time.  The Lord gives us plenty of chances to practice over and over again the principles set forth in scripture.  Do not be discouraged when you feel like you have “messed up” as a leader.  A dear teacher once said, “It is through our mistakes that we learn.”  A prayer for you dear leader is 1 Corinthians 15:58 which says, “Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain, in the Lord.”   Keep practicing!

To truly love life, keep your eye on the truth, keep your defenses up, and keep practicing the things that will ultimately make you more like Jesus, the giver of life!

Feasting on the Word,

Nancy

 

Living Beyond Yourself

When faced with a seemingly impossible task, remember that God is always about what is beyond you. At times we all feel completely overwhelmed with the tasks before us. Often we struggle to reach a goal or take on a challenging situation by using all of our own strength and resources. The problem with this is our resources and our strength is very limited. God, on the other hand, has all power and all wisdom to meet any situation. In fact he either created the situation or He has allowed it to take place. Therefore, He already has the solution! As you come upon some of life’s most difficult situations or as you meet the day to day struggles of just living, keep in mind the following truths.

God is beyond you!
Remember- God is always about what is beyond you. Therefore, attitude is everything. Realize that as a servant of the Most High God that our mindset should reflect total confidence in the One who called us into service. Isaiah 55:9 says, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” So when we have the attitude of “I can’t” or “This will never work” we limit God. We are saying that Philippians 4:13 (The “I can through Christ” verse) must not be true. Oh, but it is true! Fill your mind with the truth of God’s greatness and “beyondness!” As you read further in Isaiah 55 you will see what happens when the people realize God’s greatness and see the faithfulness of His word: Isaiah 55:12, “For you will go out with joy, and be lead forth with peace . . .”

Life is beyond you!
Life brings to us such things as devastating illnesses, broken relationships, unpaid bills, and job layoffs; just to name a few. Life truly is beyond us! Without God we have no hope. But as one of my memory verses reminds me, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) A popular contemporary Christian song is entitled, “Life is hard, but God is good.” That says it all! When we are faced with the hardness of life or faced with the discouragement of those around us, we must take hope for ourselves and give it out to those in need. When life is truly beyond them, extend to them the God that is also beyond them! Life may seem overwhelming even in the daily activities you find yourself. For example, squeezing in a commitment to spend time memorizing scripture, or consoling a friend, into your already hectic day is definitely beyond you. That is when we must claim Matthew 6:33, which says, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.” Seeking the God who is beyond you will enable and empower you to live the life that is beyond you.

Love is beyond you!
Have you ever been around an unlovely person? You know what I am talking about - that person that really gets under your skin, who is obnoxious and unruly. Jesus loves the unlovely. I am glad because I am sure I am one of them at times. Anytime God puts me in a place where I must be with that unlovely person; it is an opportunity for Him to stretch me. It amazes me how God can love through me. He can only do that when I diligently seek Him with an open heart and mind. John 13:34, commands us to love one another as Christ loves us. Deuteronomy 30:11 assures us that, “Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.” Loving others is beyond us without the Lord, but with Him all things are within our reach.

You serve a God who is beyond you, who desires to walk with you through this life that is beyond you and will love others through you beyond your highest expectations!

Feasting on the Word,
Nancy
Jeremiah 15:16