My son, Austin, just started full contact football practice on Monday. He actually wanted me to let him play last year when he turned 8, but we decided he should play a season of flag football to get a feel for competitive football. I'm biased, of course, but he did really well in flag. He scored many touchdowns and was a very good team player encouraging his team. But, and I told him this several times, flag football is not real football. You see in flag football there's no tackling. As a matter of fact any serious contact is a penalty so the players quickly adjust to the rules and avoid running into each other (on purpose at least).
So now he's got pads. Most importantly, he's got a helmet. And guess what? It's hard! He's having a heck of a time adjusting to the limited vision that comes from having a huge piece of plastic stuck on your melon. And those darn shoulder pads are keeping him from lifting his arms straight above his head to catch the high pass. So what does this have to do with our situation?
It's simple, really. All of those of us who have been followers of Jesus have had our "flag" experiences. Those periods in our life when our Christian walk was so.......I'm looking for the word........easy. Maybe it was when we were being fed by the Word and immersed in fellowship with other Christians, it felt great. But were we in the contact game? Probably not, and that's okay. Just like Austin needing that year of "easy" ball to get his confidence, so too did you and I need those seasons in our lives where we grew in a sheltered environment. But after a while, flag football gets boring. Players start to wonder how good they would be if they put the pads on, strapped on a helmet, and got dirty.
Are you ready for your pads? To put on the helmet of Salvation, the shoulder pads of Righteousness, the belt of the Truth (modern reference added)? I think I am. But I'm afraid. I'm afraid of the hits that come from being in the tackle game. My hands are shaking as I lace up my cleats, pull my helmet down and buckle my chin strap, but the thrill of the competition will soon calm those butterflies.
And in the midst of all this fear and anxiety a strange and wonder thing happens. Focus and intensity comes. The player forgets he's wearing all his equipment and he has one thing on his mind.....win the game.
I'll be interested to see how my son reacts to that first real hit, I hope he's ready. Whatever happens he will grow as a young man from this experience. As a Christian I pray that we all grow as we strap on each and every piece of armor.
Game on! Are you in?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Excellent analogy. There are of course other particpants at "the game" as well. Some are still on the sidelines and others don't even go to the game but only read the results in the paper. What is missing from the sidelines and the armchair quarterbacking is the growth that comes from the experience of actually engaging. When Jesus called others to follow Him He was inviting them into the field of play. Of course Jesus knows the trials and difficulties better than anyone yet he also knows the joys of victory like nonone else. If we want to participate in His victory we must be engaged in the game, and what a game it is.
ReplyDelete