Keep Shooting

So a couple of weeks ago, I was playing basketball with a group of guys and before I tell on anybody else, I have to tell on myself first, I missed some very makeable shots early on.  A buddy/co-worker of mine came to me and said "don't worry about it, just keep shooting."  As a good leader, he saw that I could have let those missed points bring down my confidence and taken me out of the game.  Knowing that I had his confidence to make those shots even when, honestly, I had some doubt, gave me some confidence to just play harder.  I kept working to get open and he gave me the opportunity to shoot and low and behold, I'm making the shots. 

Since the games were only going to 10, each shot should be a good look at the very least so whenever I would miss he would still say, "Keep shooting."  He trusted in (1) that I was listening and (2) that I could make those shots.  After the winning the first game, my friend gave me a vote of confidence with the game on the line to make the winning basket of the second game and kapow, I hit the game winner!  I was able to make that shot even when earlier, I thought I shouldn't be shooting anything because my friend told me it could be done.

If I can go to the Bible on this, Jesus told the disciples to keep fishing even though they had been fishing all night long and caught nothing and fishing while the sun was out did not make much since but they believed in what He said and ending up catching more fish than they ever caught before (Luke 5:4-7).  Now think if they would have told Jesus that He was crazy for even saying to fish in the middle of the day when all the fish can see the nets-they probably would never have become the fishers of men (Luke 5: 10).

So here is the point I want to make:  we should not get weary in well doing.  In this day and age of instant gratification and having things at the tips of our fingers, it can be so easy to give up on things when it gets difficult.  And what I want to drive home is not just giving up on a dream or a career or even a personal relationship but in a bigger picture, we should not give up in doing good to people at every turn.  We should look to be there in a time of need for a friend, for a co-worker, for a stranger, for a fellow laborer of Christ  (Galatians 6: 9-10).  If we keep in mind that we should spread love to all men and women then we can really make a difference in so many people's lives.  So lets keep fishing for those who need help and who need love and encouragement because they made end up winning the game for us.  We need to keep shooting.

Power of Words (Nice Guys Finish Last)

While studying for the GRE I am finding that some words do not necessarily mean what we think they mean.  Somehow, words have changed meaning over the course of time.  Case in point, the word nice has definitely changed in meaning.  When we think of the word nice now, we think of 1500's definition which is to be agreeable and delightful.  With nice being such a good attribute how did we get the phrase, "Nice guys finish last?"  Good question and I have an answer for that from www.onelook.com and that is the etymology/origin of the word nice in the 13th century actually meant "foolish" and "stupid" [from the Latin nescius-not knowing].  So the power of words and what they really mean can really have an impact on how our world is formed. 


"A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket."
-Charles Peguy


Now if you allow me to go to the Bible on this, Matthew 5:48 says, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."  Again, that one simple word tends to trip us up because we always, "I'm not perfect" or "God knows my heart, I ain't perfect" or some other phrase we say all the time because the word perfect has come to mean flawless.  But if we go back to the original definition, perfect means to be "complete" and "ready" and that does not necessarily mean we will be flawless in all that we do.  Lets be honest, all of us, as humans, are a work in progress (Psalm 103:14), so being flawless would be a hard task but being complete would not be impossible.  The truth is, God wants us to be perfect or ready because that is what He is.  We should always be ready, prepared, solid, dependable, etc. because that is what the world needs:  people who are complete.


If you look at the world today, there are so many unfinished things and undependable people that things are bound to go wrong when they should not have to if things were prepared the right way and if people were ready.  So lets get into the habit of being complete and being ready because the world needs complete love from ready people.