Looking Forward to the Future

My entire Christian life has been one of looking forward to a future when somehow, I find peace on Earth. I’ve always had this expectation that somehow, I was going to arrive on some vague plateau of personal peace, harmony and perhaps a state of being that was more like coasting downhill on a bike as opposed to peddling hard uphill.

But alas. It has never gotten easier for me and I have never arrived into that state of “coasting”.

I had a recent epiphany about the probable reality of my life as a Christian.

Allow me to use a football analogy to explain a new understanding of what the Christian life may be like for most of us.

Let’s say I was born into a football family.

The exposure to all thing’s “football” is continually around me. My identity is wrapped up in football and my destiny is playing football.

And so, I play pee-wee football in elementary school running and bumping into the little guys and more than likely going in the wrong direction on the field. Zero maturity but an intro none the less.

Junior high football comes next; learning the rules, listening to the coaches and growing physically into a football body.

With high school football comes growingly difficult opponents, more disciplines, teamwork, and life new choices as I consider how my behavior will affect my ability to play ball.

I developed closer friendships with the other players as we work on our game and my listening to the coaches becomes indispensable for any success. I choose to reject passivity and anything that will negatively affect my game. Hard dedicated work brings success.

Then, moving up to college ball…

… brings a whole new set of challenges. What are you going to allow in your life? Which distractions will you reject? What is your commitment, your motivating goal?

College brings you into contact with the better players and opponents from high schools all around the country. Bigger and stronger and smarter guys who play to win. The hits are harder, the losses bitter but the perks grow.

You have a host of new tools at your disposal to become a better player. Great coaches, facilities, support and exposure on national television plus fans that have higher expectations and demands but winning brings that taste of glory.

Life choices get more and more focused and, in some ways, stricter and limited. Disciplines grow and actions such as getting drunk on Friday nights are no longer an option.

Every choice can have a positive or negative effect on your game and so you are willing to choose the better things.

On you go to play at the next level, pro football; greater challenges but greater rewards. Your opponents are giants, the best of the best and you absolutely developed your body and skills or get seriously injured. Every choice you make must consider if it will hinder or help you win.

How you think controls the rest of it so if you’re thinking or perspective is off or wrong, your game suffers.

Depending on how you may play…

… in the Super Bowl and win but that is your last game, your eternal exit game. No retirement. You die.

The point of this is to consider that the Christian life is a game in action from the beginning to end. Even if you think you have checked out you are still a football player in the field of life.

The opponents real and their hits painful. There is no retirement so stop looking for it.

Stay focused and motivated and trust your heavenly coach with the goal of winning for yourself and your team.

Looking Forward to the Future

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