Pushing a Rock into the House, Sinking a 30 Foot Putt and Experiencing Nothing but Net from Half Court.
Good Morning Friends,
This last week my family has been absorbed with its every two year love affair with the Olympic sport of curling. My daughter even has spreadsheets on the details of the games. It is a sport that like golf, was organized and given structure in Scotland, but the precise location of the first game is unknown. The play of these games do look easier than they really are. Now bear with me as I connect the dots. So last night we attended a cocktail party to announce the partnership between Communities and Schools, Leadership Foundations and the Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame and the topical sport of the evening was basketball but tied to a golf event next year to raise funds to connect kids to relationships to help them succeed in life. The beauty of the upcoming event is that its focus brings back the original emphasis of basketball as a sport to help kids. From the pinnacle of the mountain, from the precise origin of the sport symbolized by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame the rock begins to move. And as God moves mountains the Spirit in us recognizes the reality of the work ahead that is unseen and the grace needed in Pushing a Rock into the House, Sinking a 30 Foot Putt and Experiencing Nothing but Net from Half Court.
Scripture: But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Luke 5:16 (NRSV)
Message: Larry Bird put it this way, “A winner is someone who recognizes his God- given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.”
Suffice to say, I have never pursued my golfing dream, basketball dream or curling dream to fruition. But I am pursuing a dream that connects to today’s scripture. You see, there are some things we cannot see and there are some things we do not see yet but need to. And when we honestly behold the situation of the world around us it should move us to tears and too our knees. So today’s scripture can be read with a focus on prayer, but if you look with new eyes, a different emphasis might just occur. Friends all those basketball, golf and curling professionals make it look easy, what has taken hours and hours of practice to even qualify to compete. What observers do not understand is the investment of time that no one sees. The focus in today’s scripture is not only on prayer but on Jesus working behind the scenes imploring us to practice love and generosity in what is unseen by others. We find Jesus throughout the Gospels withdrawing by Himself and also with other disciples. When you watch curling, the next time you play golf, the next time you see a great dunk or three point shot remember the investments that no one sees.
Pray we realize that there is an element of faith which invests in what only God can see. Pray we rely on the Holy Spirit for change. Pray we witness God’s purposes, processes and motives in our lives. Pray we build relationships with people challenging those who would listen to change on the basis of their love of God. Pray we give people hope, encouragement and love before asking them to change. Pray our timing is right in effecting changes that would make a difference. Pray we realize that God’s greatest work in our lives comes in the behind the scenes events. Pray we spend time practicing alone. Pray we invest into another person’s life one on one. Pray we invite God to speak to us in silence and solitude. Pray we experience the unseen work of Christ in our lives.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 