Ready:
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
-Colossians 2:6-7
Set:
After nearly one year of controversy off the field, the Duke lacrosse team returned to action in their 2007 season opener and defeated Dartmouth 17-11 in front of a crowd of 6,500. Rape allegations caused the university to suspend the team from play in March of 2006. The lacrosse program was reinstated later that June, and upon returning to practice, senior captain Matt Danowski was overflowing with thankfulness for the opportunity to compete again. "I can say personally I definitely appreciate it more. I took it for granted. We took going to the national championship game for granted. And playing games on Saturdays in front of fans, I took that for granted."
Is your life overflowing with thankfulness right now? Sometimes I wrestle with being thankful in situations I don't necessarily enjoy. When I don't have an attitude of thankfulness it's usually because I feel like I'm not getting what I want. However, when I take a step back and look at the big picture, I can see, by the grace of God, what I do have to be thankful for--primarily eternal life.
I encourage you to live and compete with an attitude of thankfulness today, because no matter how good or bad life gets here we know that 1) it is temporary, and 2) it doesn't compare to what we will experience in heaven if we have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Go:
1. What things are you most thankful for as a competitor? When have you taken these things for granted?
2. What situation in life do you find it most difficult to be thankful for right now? What is one thing you can be thankful for in this situation?
Workout:
Psalm 34:1-10
Luke 17:11-19
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
2 Corinthians 9:15
