The past couple of weeks I have been able to see two
completely different approaches to the game of life and their ensuing results…
First let me start with a quote from the great John
Wooden (which I am sure I have quoted, probably many times, over the years of
doing these weekly devotions.) Coach Wooden said, “be quick, but don’t hurry!” He
knew that a hurried mind would result in silly mistakes and ultimately a
meltdown in the game… I don’t have a clue of how many times over the years of
coaching I have yelled out onto the court for my players to calm down… or to a
free throw shooter to take a dep breath… etc. A player that is “hurried” will
make bad passes, take bad shots, and commit silly fouls…
I won’t spend more time on the athletic picture… I think
we all understand where I am coming from; and now I want to relate this truth
to the game of life. We live in a society where many, no most, are “hurried”!
The advance of technology has not led us to an easier pace of life, but instead
to a more hectic one. I really believe the enemy is luring us into his full
court trap by making us think we have a clear path…
Think about it, we are stuck always expecting things to
happen right away… we literally live our days out in stress… and as a result I counsel
people daily that are wrecked with anxiety and depression. I even heard on the radio
a couple days ago that pediatricians are suggesting that parents regularly screen
their children for depression…
I could write for a long time on this subject but let me
encourage you to hop onto YouTube and look up Louie Giglio When Darkness Falls;
it is an honest look at what he went through a few years ago and the things the
Lord showed him to bring him out of it. (It is a great message for any of us to
watch as it gives practical approaches to dealing with life’s full court press…
I will tell you that this week alone I counseled a family
where a man literally went from “flight mode” to “fight mode” in a split second
and made choices that have wrecked his and his family’s world. And I could go
on and on with negative examples… but let me jump to the positive…
Giglio shares in his message about the importance of
worship, and how worship cripples fear and worry. He encourages us to let the
God “Who gives songs in the night.” (Job 35:10) I love that passage, in it
Elihu is rebuking the older guys for having no answer to Job’s stress… and he
reminds us to turn to God, Who will give us a song in the midst of our night.
(Night here refers to anguish and pain we suffer…)
I watched this in action a couple weeks back as Lisa and
I traveled on a worship tour with a group of students. I challenged them before
the trip to unplug from the craziness of the social media and from music that
doesn’t build up; and instead to plug into talk that encourages, music that
lifts, etc. In other words to focus on worship in all aspects of life. The results…
amazing, to the point of unbelievable. Lisa even commented about half way
through the trip that the kids’ countenance had even changed. We saw joy and
peace that surpasses understanding… one student writing that he felt freer than
he has ever been. Intentional worship led to a great week and it has carried
over to us witnessing culture change here at home…
Louie mentions in his message that worship and worry can’t
occupy the same place; and that some then state, “as soon as I stop worshipping
the worry returns… to which Giglio responds, “don’t stop then!”
Life is fast paced… slow your minds down with intentional
worship… your quality of life depends on it!
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