My dad was a linebacker for the Air Force Academy football team, and he told me this story: After the huddle broke, he approached the line. My dad is a pretty big guy, but when he saw who he was up against, he didn’t feel so big anymore. He explains how his opponent was larger than life and even when crouched down, his huge body blocked the sun and there my dad stood shivering in his shadow. When quarterback finally called “Hike” my dad just closed his eyes and with all his might tried to tackle the giant.
After the collision, he barely got up to find the huddle. As he wobbled over to the other guys, he realized that the hit that he just taken dinged him a little bit worse than he thought. He told the other players, “Hey look, I am not doing so good. I can only hear out of one ear, my nose is in excruciating pain, and I have tunnel vision in one eye.”
The other players laughed and said, “Jim, turn your helmet around, you’re looking out the ear hole”
Isn’t funny how we walk through life asking each other, “How are you?” and the majority of us simply answer “Oh, I’m Good” when the truth may be that we are dinged by life. The truth is that we all have hard days that knock the wind out of us and make it hard to get up and try again.
One of my favorite lines from the movie “Hitch” is when will smith says, “Begin everyday as if it were on purpose.” This morning I tried that… I got up, had my quiet time and one specific Bible verse shook me from my apathetic state. It was Galatians 6:9:
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
This is so much easier said than done. I am always quick to grow weary of the good thing I know I should do. Paul is saying that we can’t grow exhausted by our efforts of righteousness. There are many things in my life that I would rather avoid such as paying debt, doing school, going to work… But I must be disciplined to run the race Christ has marked out for me as it says in Hebrews 12:1. To keep on doing these things without growing fatigued, I must keep my eyes on the goal of knowing Christ more and I must continually tap into the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer and the Bible. I find that by taking time daily to talk to God, journal, and read his Word I am re-energized to keep fighting the good fight.
Proverbs 4:25-26:
Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix your gaze directly before you.
Make level paths for your feet
and take only ways that are firm.
Dr. Easley, The former president of Moody Bible Institute and Lead Pastor of Fellowship Church in Brentwood, TN, talked about this verse when he said, “It’s amazing how easily our heads are turned. I can walk across the parking lot, and many harmless things turn my head. I can drive home and many not so harmless things turn my head. I can plan and dream and pray and many things can pull my attention from my task. I think that I have a major case of spiritual ADD and ADHD.
I love the words of [Proverbs 4]. “Directly ahead.” Not turning, letting my eyes graze on other fields. “Fixed straight in front of you.” deliberate, Focused, intent. Eye on the ball. There is a lot to be said for a single clear focus.
Hang tough. Stay true. Live and think clean.”
