03.18
Did you ever play Dodge Ball in PE? We played it on rainy days. All the classes would gather in the gym, divide into two teams, then throw balls at the other team until only one person survived. I loved the game, but I quickly learned an important piece of strategy… stay out of the middle. Play it safe. Hang out on the back wall until a ball comes your way, then run to the center, pelt someone with it, and scurry back to the wall.
We had a few guys in our class who were wild and fearless. They never played it safe. Instead, they lived in the middle of the gym. They’d jump, duck, twist, and lean until one of the balls finally got ‘em. Occasionally, they’d win; but win or lose, they put it all on the line. They left satisfied, knowing they hadn’t taken the easy road.
The Kingdom of God benefits when we stop playing it safe. When we take seriously verses like Psalm 73:26, “God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” ‘God is my portion’ = He’s enough for me. Even if I’m getting pelted by the enemy, God’s enough. His strength makes me bold. I like what Russ said last week: “God doesn’t just make us feel better in our circumstances. He makes us feel bold.”
I was in my last semester of PE in 10th grade. It seems silly now, but I remember thinking, “If I’m ever going to stop playing it safe, it’s got to be now. There won’t be many more chances.” I ventured out into the middle – with the real studs – and got pelted in less than a minute. I left the game with my head held high. I hadn’t played it safe. My team was better off because of my choice. I was better off, too.
I never scurried back to the safety of the wall again.
First of all – I’d like to congratulate you for using the word “scurried” in a blog post. I’m an advocate of that word! Good job.
I don’t have a hard time getting in the thick of things, taking the risk. I have a hard time getting off the bench. Sometimes – you do really well and then you take a break for whatever reason. Busy, tired, sick, work, kids… whatever. It throws you out of your routine – puts you on the sideline. Sometimes the hardest thing in the world for me is getting back in the game. I kind of fell out of the game towards the end of Rooted and haven’t really re-engaged. This post brought me back a bit and helped me step up.
This applies to everything for me. God, cycling, running…. get me on a roll, I am awesome. Knock me out of line… I’m all over the place.
I’d love to hear some more thoughts about taking a risk…
Given the choice between the conversative thing and the bold thing, I will always choose the bold thing. In particular, if my mother-in-law tells me not to do it, sit tight, you’re fine where you are…why do you want to change anything? Then, it’s like a word from God. I KNOW I’m supposed to do it.
Hilarious.
Ya know, I have been reading all the blog comments but have not been quite “bold” enough to write…:-). I like the word “bold”, not sure about “scurried”. I am bold at times myself but it sure helps to have someone to be bold with. That is where KW has helped me a lot.
There are a lot of different ways to be bold. Bold is different for everyone. Sometimes you hit the occasional brick wall. But everytime that happens I learn things that I couldn’t possibly have learned by wondering what would have happened if I decided to do such-and-so. Boldness is a kind of faith. I’ve made a decsion in the last year that everyone has questioned repeatedly. It appears that this time I’ve really done the wrong thing. But I prayed about it for a year before I did it, and I asked God to make everything else fail except the option that I should accept. It’s been a terribly hard year, but alot of the chaff that Ken talks about has been removed. And more and more, there is only good wheat left. If every decsion I make must result in creature comforts and ego pleasing environments, then, I did the wrong thing for sure. But if I’m willing to be bold and believe that even when something that appears to be bad happens that God is still in it with me, loving me, helping me, growing me, then, it makes me that much bolder. God is my life, and I’m willing to risk everyone’s poor opinion of my choices to give God the most freedom of movement in my heart and in my life circumstances.
I know for about three years, I seemed to struggle with going to church, not because it was the right thing to do but because every time I, or we, tried to start attending regularly and doing all the stuff that one is “suppose to do” Cindy’s health would take a noticeable down turn. I got it in my head that God wasn’t on my side or else He would at least show up every now and then and give us a break. I thought that being “bold,” by trying to do the right thing, that was costing my wife her health…so why be bold?
BUT THEN, something absolutely stinking amazing happened last month. On February 20th Cindy was in the hospital, in ICU with Acute Renal Failure and dangerously high potassium levels. Of all the times that she had been admitted before, she’d never been in ICU. I knew that if things didn’t improve rather quickly I would loose my bride of almost 29 years. The difference this time though was I had an unexplainable calm and peace amidst all of the issues that Cindy was enduring. In times before I would eventually get to a point of shear anger at God; why did He allow this to happen again; but not this time and I can’t explain it for any other reason than it is a God thing! I tried the “do it yourself” path; I tried to “manage” the situation myself; I tired burying myself in work as a distraction to it all. None of that worked…. I don’t consider myself “bold” in any manner – I’m not even sure why I posted this here; I just know that despite the storms of life that continue to rage, specifically with Cindy’s health, I’ve got a piece that passes all understanding.
We missed you and Cindy this morning! It’s cool to hear how God is working in your life…