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When it comes to food, I’m amazed at how many times I’ll think I’ll be eating the right thing, only to find out I’m wrong. Eggs are bad—no, eggs are good. Butter is bad—no, butter is better. Fat is bad—no, the right fats are good. And on and on it goes.
Sometimes we can get by with this and not suffer any major consequences, but often not getting it right can have serious side-effects.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” – Matthew 13:44 (NIV)
When my wife asks me to go to the grocery store for “just a few things,” I know I’m probably in for a long day. On those days, you’ll find me searching aisle by aisle and, more often than not, on the phone asking her for help. It’s similar to when she tells me to look for something in her purse. I don’t even make an attempt. I’ve learned it’s much faster to just get the purse and bring it to her.
If you’ve never seen the movie Secondhand Lions, don’t read the next paragraph. I’m about to spoil the ending.
At the end of the movie, the film’s two wildly adventurous uncles have died in an attempt to fly their biplane upside-down through their barn door. When the local sheriff breaks the news to their nephew, Walter, the sheriff says, “They had a good, long run. They went out with their boots on.” A young boy who had heard stories of the uncles’ adventures turns to Walter and asks, “They really lived?” His response: “Yeah. They really lived!”
America has the biggest obesity problem in the world. And as we export our Western diet to other nations around the globe, we also are exporting our weighty results. Just like in the States, other countries are experiencing growing obesity and the chronic health problems associated with it.
“...I do not run like one who runs aimlessly…Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” - 1 Corinthians 9:26-27
“Living without a purpose and a plan is like sailing a ship without a rudder—you’ll float aimlessly in circles and go nowhere.” – Unknown
Don’t you just love that quote? Personally, I believe it paints a great word picture for life, especially as it pertains to our physical health.
In sports, as coaches and athletes, we know that we have to take one game at a time. When a game is over, win or lose, we have to put it behind us, learn what we can and move on. The same is true in all aspects of life. In Philippians 3, Paul tells us to forget the past and press on toward what is ahead. In Matthew 6:34, Jesus flat-out tells us, “Don’t worry about tomorrow.” From these two passages I believe we can take three important lessons—ones that will help us to walk in victory and “win” each day of our lives
Earlier this season, I took my middle school baseball team to practice with the high school varsity. It was good for my kids to practice on a higher level and to see how high school differs from middle school. At the end of practice the varsity coach gave them a "pep talk" about life and baseball using five key points of competition. While I had used some of the same points in my own speeches, I found that they captured my attention in a new way when I heard them from another coach and saw how they got the attention of the kids. The points that this coach made would work for any sport, and they also translate well to our spiritual lives.
As the Competitor’s Creed states, your desire as an athlete is to “compete for the pleasure of [your] Heavenly Father, the honor of Christ and the reputation of the Holy Spirit.” That is truly competing with a spiritual focus, not a physical focus.
Sandi could tell you that your balance follows your gaze. He’d stopped his mountain bike just above a trail intersection. I was waiting for him on the trail below him and to his right. Being new to the kind of pedals that held his feet captive in metal clips, he focused on getting his left foot out before he lost all of his forward momentum. Proud of his success, he turned his gaze to the right to meet mine — and his weight followed his eyes. In slow motion he keeled over down the slope toward me, still unable to free his right foot from the pedal. He tumbled unhurt into an avalanche of late-autumn leaves, branches and his own bike.
Athletes are instructed on where to focus their eyes. “Keep your eyes on the ball . . . Keep your eyes on the player’s midsection . . . Keep your eyes on the hoop when shooting . . . Keep your eyes on the finish line . . .”
NFL star receiver Steve Largent was once asked what he kept his eyes on when a quarterback threw the ball. Largent said he looked at the cross-hairs. While it is next to impossible to look at the cross seams of a football coming at you at that speed, it showed Largent’s focus.
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