Many, many summers ago I had a summer class at WKU. As odd as it sounds, I enjoyed “summer college classes.” Most of the time they were short, intense, and beneficial. Sometimes you would only get to know your peers briefly. One such contemporary of mine was a high school baseball coach. He attended every class meeting wearing his team’s shirt that always contained some type of “motivational message” on the back of the shirt. One message that sticks out to me on his gray tee shirt was stated in all caps: FIND A WAY. Of course, he was a coach who coached a team that was focused on winning. We know in relation to sports or anything competitive, we will encounter barriers. This coach, via a shirt, wanted his team to embrace the willingness to work around and overcome any barriers that might come his team’s way.
You see the spiritual application. As Christians and followers of Christ, we will encounter many obstacles that may impede our relationship with the Lord, but we must not let these perceived road blocks stop us from walking with Him. What can we do to make this relationship strong?
· Reflect daily on our devotion to God. Spend time in God’s Word and prayer. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). This creates an opportunity to helps us discern when something is competing with Jesus for our attention.
· Evaluate our motives, desires, and actions. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24). When we apply God’s Word, our self-evaluation will create awareness in us.
· Look at our priorities each day. Who or what really is #1 in our life and in our thoughts? The answer will be evident in our actions and the daily outcomes of our life! We see in Luke 19:10 the mission of Christ, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” We all are blessed with 168 hours in a week. How do we spend our time?
I have no idea what happened to my coaching classmate or the level of success his teams had. But, I’m thankful he encouraged his boys to be focused on the goal and not the obstacles! May we view each day with an eye on eternity. Life is challenging, but let’s FIND A WAY!
