Weekly Thought – September 12, 2017
Fred followed sports and enjoyed the company of athletes. He appreciated the discipline and the “price they paid” they displayed. One of his closest friends, Bill Glass (founder of Behind the Walls prison ministry) exemplifies character and devotion. Recently, his lifetime love, wife Mavis Glass, went to heaven. Please pray for the Glass family.
The Sporting Life
Sports are valuable. They teach us not only how to play, but how to live. We see the value of opposition: mano v. mano, defense against offense. The one or the team who handles opposition best wins.
What if they decided to do away with the oppositional factor in sports? What if they decided to just play nice and not challenge each other? What if the quarterback stood still so it would be easier for the defense to sack him? The crowd would become the opposition, wouldn’t they? They would boo both teams and probably walk out of the stadium. The game is thrilling and exciting because of the tension and the one against another. Sports thrive on opposition.
Life is like that, too. As we face struggles and overcome, we grow and succeed. We get stronger as we shoulder one burden, shove aside one temptation, climb the hill of adversity – and claim the victory flag. Life with no challenge weakens us.
The hand is a miraculous creation… the oppositional thumb sets us apart from other creations. (Also, we have a soul… I haven’t wandered into evolutionary thinking). When the fingers press against the thumb we are able to life, grip, and twist. When we lose the use of those digits we are then crippled. When I was five I fell on a glass jar, severing the artery in my wrist. The inadequate medical care has taken the use of my right hand away. I can use it as a claw, but the smooth movement of thumb and finger doesn’t exist. I learned from a friend in the insurance business that disability claims for a thumb have a higher pay-out than for a regular finger. Opposition is important.
In life we learn to operate with opposition in such a way we maximize our efforts. We don’t look at it as an enemy, but see it as an opportunity for development. Just as positive stress and tension are necessary for a healthy life, the presence of opposition is crucial for proper growth. The confidence we experience as we learn to manage opposition well leads us to further wins.
Be thankful for opposition for it is key in success.
This week think about: 1) How often do I bemoan opposition rather than seeing its value? 2) What is creating an oppositional force in my life right now? 3) How can I maximize the adversity in my life?
Words of Wisdom: “We get stronger as we shoulder one burden, shove aside one temptation, climb the hill of adversity – and claim the victory flag.”
Wisdom from the Word: “In times of prosperity be joyful, but in times of adversity consider this: God has made one as well as the other, so that no one can discover what the future holds.” (Ecclesiastes 7:14 NET Bible)