Hard Stuff

I talked with one of my co-workers about the teachers we knew from high school. Cause get this my boss is younger than me & was one of my high school classmates. Oh the joys of living in a small town. We talked about the teachers who were still there. The ones who were our favorites. The ones who made our lives miserable. And we came to the conclusion that actually the ones who made life so hard for us when we were teens are actually the ones we learned the most from. They didn't break us. They didn't ruin our lives. They made us better. Made us stronger. Made us wiser.

I've become an avid sports fan since moving home. Its quite ridiculous. I literally sat and watched seven hours of NFL games one Sunday. BY MYSELF. Cheering and yelling. Angry at every dropped ball and interception. Ecstatic at plays completed. And you can pretty much bet, I'm not missing a guys UT basketball game if its on. Even though, my mom has banned me and my dad from watching them during dinner cause she says my yelling isn't polite at the table. The things that make me the angriest when watching games...missed free throws and fumbles. They are the basics of these sports. Hold onto the ball and when you get a chance to make a shot with no one guarding you, MAKE IT!! Some of these guys are 40% for making their free throws. RIDICULOUS! Its a basic you should have learned and mastered. You are playing college basketball. You have a scholarship. Why don't these players have higher percentages? This is my opinion, they didn't want to take the time to practice their free throws. We talk about how great people are and even let them get by with things because they are great at...fill in the blank. I think the Minnesota Vikings would have been in the Super Bowl if running back Adrian Peterson would have held onto the ball. (and if a few other things would have happened...hello protect Vikings, why didn't you protect your QB?)

Look at Peyton Manning. Yeah he didn't win the Super Bowl last night, but no one can deny the talent of the guy. Or the hard work he has put in to get where he is. I read something that said he is always in work mode. He watches reels of his past games and of his opponents. He is always learning. Always working through the hard things. Even after the Colts won against the New York Jets, he barely celebrated the win knowing the Super Bowl game was next and he couldn't lose focus.

All this to say, we live in a world that skips the hard stuff. We are overweight because we eat fast food instead of taking the time to cook healthy meals and work-out. We recruit players for scholarships who look good on paper but have no character and end up with drug and gun possession charges. We change teachers if they make us work more than we want to. We say no to the wilderness because it may be hard. We might be asked to do something or give up something or someone that we love. But in the end, its always for our best. It's in the hard moments that your true potential is shown.

All this to say. I'm in the wilderness. Some days I give up. Some days I hold on for all I got knowing God has His glory and my best interest in mind. So for those of you who are going through the wilderness or about to find yourself journeying into the wilderness, know you aren't alone.

This quote sums up really all my thoughts. Thanks Sam!
"In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful" - C. S. Lewis