Football Season is Here!

Football season is here! For many people in the South, football is god!

I can remember standing on the sidelines and hearing the chant, "Know what to do and DO IT!"

Players and coaches spent countless days in the weight room, watched numerous hours of game film, and trained their bodies and minds for the play calls in practice all to prepare themselves for the physical war under the "Friday Night Lights."

Every routine play and even the trick plays were rehearsed in practice. How could the result not be a 1st down? They can repeat the opponents' play calling in their sleep. How could they not get a defensive stop on 3rd and long?

Life is no different. There's a coach, a playbook, a team, and an opponent. What on earth could de-rail our team from experiencing optimal success? Two things; ignorance and apathy.

So, ignorance is simply not knowing what to do. There are many reasons a player may fail to do the right thing, but he cannot do what he does not know. Maybe he was distracted. Maybe he was absent. Maybe he just didn't understand the play being called. Nevertheless, his inability to fulfill his obligation to the team left him wavering in the ranks of irresponsible behavior.

Apathy is refusing to do something in light of knowing the routine and the results. This player knows the responsibility of the position but is choosing to act independently of those expectations. Pride, inconvenience, or a lack of self control are often indicators leading to apathy. And apathetic tendencies always lead to results that are off course.

How do we overcome two of the most fundamental flaws of any team?

It's simple; obedience. We refuse to be ignorant; we choose to learn and become a student of the game. We refrain from apathy; our responsibility to this team trumps any rights we believe we have as an individual. We submit ourselves to the authority of leadership, to the unity of this team, and to the plausibility of its practices to develop a more cohesive design for success in this game.

This statement, "Know what to do and do it," is more than the MO for a sports team; it's the MO for God's army in the war we face in life. James 4:17 states, "Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." The only way we can guarantee victory over the struggles in life is to identify the voice of our commander and obey with unwavering vigor and resolve!

Keeping Score

My son is playing soccer but since he's in the youngest age division we aren't supposed to keep score. Yet I can't help but press the button on the scoreboard of my mind every time they score a goal. There just seems to be something intrinsic about tallying the score.

Each time my son's team scores I find myself celebrating inwardly or aloud, high-fiving the players and telling them "Good job!" And every time the opposing team scores I find myself becoming enraged at their lack of defense and intensity.

Then I'm forced to remember, "They're four!"

It's so easy to keep score in the daily routines of our life. Those moments we feel a win coming our way because of our good deeds, the sacrifices we make, and the moral aptitudes we display for others to consider our greatness.

But the real test comes when others violate the rules of the game. When someone breaks the rules by lying, cheating, betraying, stealing, gossiping, and so on. They've done that one thing that has sparked unforgettable and unforgivable anger and resentment. We've tallied the score and feel defeat knocking on the door.

Now we're forced to continue playing by the rules or consider bending what we know to be right to catch up, tie the score, and move ahead. All because we've been trained to keep score!

Keeping score can be exhausting. If we're constantly counting the punches thrown by others we will eventually feel overwhelmed by the countless opponents demanding our attention. 

Rather than experiencing the frustration of tallying the score, we must learn to find the ultimate victory in showing mercy (James 2:13).