This week I find myself feeling rushed, overwhelmed,
frustrated, etc.; much like a game that is getting out of hand. I remember clearly
those times as a player or coach that we just kept pushing forward while falling
farther behind. Those were times that needed one of two things: (1. Change the
approach) or (2. Stick to the game plan.)
The first option is possible since as a coach I was often
wrong; but there were other times that I was sure what was best for my team was
staying the course.
The problem is that most people simply judge success by
the scoreboard. Yet in reality there are times when that is an unrealistic
gauge of success. There were some teams we faced that on their worst day would
beat us badly on our best day. Therefore I as a coach had to determine a course
of action that gave us the best potential for growth and to prepare for the
next game.
I recall games where we played teams full of long,
athletic, skilled players that we simply could not match up with. Those were
teams that wanted to take advantage of those attributes and have a dunk-fest on
us. Often these teams were not known for their outside shooting so I would pack
the lane with our defense and tell them to beat us from outside (“pick our
poison”)…
I remember at times when they would hit a couple of those
outside shots and immediately players (and sometimes my assistants) would say, “We
have to get out on them.” To which I would reply, “No, they will not keep
hitting those shots; but they will hit all the dunks and get us in foul
trouble.” I wish I could state that those games resulted in us pulling off the
amazing upsets; but in reality we simply lost by less than we would have, but
always seemed better prepared for the next game. I was not determining “success”
by the scoreboard.
I think the Apostle Paul had learned that lesson. His
life (on the scoreboard) was better when he was Saul. In fact life was
incredibly difficult for him with a lot of defeats in it (from a worldly
perspective.) Yet he stayed the course with joy! (Reading assignment is
Philippians this week.)
Jesus also lived according to a “stick with the plan”
mentality. Yesterday our pastor (Matt Brooks) was sharing in a series called “The
Devil’s been Talking.” He was in Matthew chapter 4 where Satan is trying to
tempt Jesus to turn stones into bread. After all Jesus was hungry, He had the
ability, and there is nothing wrong with eating…
But Jesus responds that “man does not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (vs 4) In other
words, Jesus was stating that He would stick to the Father’s game plan and eat
when the Father says to eat. The “scoreboard” said that Jesus was hungry; but
He didn’t play the “score” but instead the plan…
Back to my opening. Sometimes my life seems to get very
chaotic. That in and of itself is not bad; the game gets intense at times! But
sometimes I feel it happens in my life as I take on too many things without
stopping to ask a question the pastor raised: “What are the good things in my
life that are maybe not the God things in my life?”
Just because something is good does not mean it is from
God. It may be a distraction from the “game plan” and have negative results in
the long run. (Yes we may stop the
3-point shots, but we are left with the other team having a dunk-fest.)
I want to learn to better make decisions based upon the
game plan and not on the scoreboard. It is not just about making more money –
or having popularity – or looking more successful…
I don’t want just a good plan; I want God’s plan for my
life! And I will trust the outcome to Him!
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