Are there any sports fans out there? I love sports and am truly a highly competitive person. I can liken a lot of life to sports. For example, no matter what sport you like or participate in, there is an offense and a defense <sidebar-well except maybe golf and bowling-really are these sports? If you can drink beer while playing, maybe it isn’t as competitive as you think>. Some people play only on offense and some only on defense. If you truly love the sport and are talented, you can play both sides. I find this idea works for real life also. Regardless of the situation, you can choose to act (offense) or sit back and react (defense). Think about it…..
Now stay with me on this…I have been mulling over this idea for several days. There are things that transpire everyday that require our thoughts and actions. We all have opinions. We express those opinions and usually respond from our convictions. Some things require a personal response like someone cheating you or being dishonest with you. This is a face to face conversation to resolve. But the real idea that I have been mulling over is those issues that are public in nature. For example, our government and elected officials make decisions for us everyday. Some we agree with and some we don’t. It is our right as.citizens to express our displeasure regarding the issues. Others may not agree with us, but it is our right, not to mention our responsiblity, to be counted. Isn’t this what our founding fathers were doing when they drafted the Constitution. They were stating unequivocally how they felt our country should be run. It is a patriotic duty to stay informed and involved. Back to my sports analogy- you cannot sit on your butt and be a Monday morning quarterback. You know, have an opinion after the fact without being involved in the process.
Well…..this thought process logically led into something close to my heart, my relationship with God. I have always believed in God and had a relationship with him through Jesus Christ. This kind of relationship requires conviction as well as action on the part of a Christian. We come across situations all the time that go against what we believe. So what do we do? Should we sit back and wait to see what will happen (defense) and then have an opinion (Monday morning quarterbacking) or do we go on the offensive, state what we believe and let the chips fall where they may? I personally advocate the latter. I believe bad behavior must be addressed and dealt with. Unfortunately, this doesn’t sit well with a lot of people. So I go back to the rule book…the bible.
The prophets of the old testament called out ungodliness when they saw it and warned the people of their faithlessness publically! It wasn’t hidden, it was direct. In the new testament, John the Baptist was beheaded because he called out King Herod for adultery. This was public. Behavior that occurs in public should be called out that way. I’m not talking about with malice, but with conviction. Of course, we will be castigated for this, but Jesus tells us to daily pick up our cross and follow him.
So…..one question. Are you the one carrying the cross or the one pounding nails into it?
