PREPARING TO WIN

Ezekiel 35:1-36:38; James 1:1-18; Psalm 116:1-19; Proverbs 27:23-27

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations…. Then you will remember your past sins and despise yourselves for all the detestable things you did. But remember, says the Sovereign Lord, I am not doing this because you deserve it. O my people…, you should be utterly ashamed of all you have done!”

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

“Then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘Please, Lord, save me!’ How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me. Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me. He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. And so I walk in the Lord’s presence as I live here on earth!”

“Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.”

They just laid off eight people at work yesterday. God forgive me, I have a very divided heart about the whole thing. On one hand, I feel incredibly blessed and grateful that my name was not on that particular list. On the other hand, we pretty much went through the dead wood months ago, and none of those who were let go were deserving of such adversity. I pity those folks, and feel very sorry for them. I cannot help but wonder if they were properly prepared.

I’ve been there. The first question is always “Why?” There are no good answers in an economy like this. It is never fair; it’s just the way of things. All there really is left is what we have prepared for in advance, and what we can prepare for now, and that needs to be well ahead of any self-pity. Not in our lifetimes has this fact ever been more compelling or obvious. Never have so many been caught so unprepared, either. We live as if we are in a sprint, moving from one life crisis or event to another, instead of dealing with life like the marathon it is. We are seemingly unable to focus on the big picture and unwilling to consider what might happen if we hit the proverbial wall unexpectedly. When it happens – as even Christ Himself promised it would – about all we seem able to do is sit by the side of the road to wait for a SAG Wagon to pick us up and bail us out. At least, that’s how it is if we have not: 1) reviewed and planned out our course tactics in advance; 2) properly trained for the whole race; 3) prepared fully (including emotionally – marathons are a very mental thing) for the rigors ahead; and 4) stuck to the course with a very single-minded purpose of reaching that one goal that means more than any other.

We get distracted. We spend or abandon resources we think we’ll never need because we don’t have the vision or will to confront the whole race in advance. We are undisciplined, mentally and physically. We make no long range plans. Yet, we are still surprised when difficulties or just the drag of the race threaten to overcome us. This is not logical. We have no right to get mad at the Lord or circumstances or others because we are victimized by our own lack of preparation. Indeed, the temptation to do so is simply another means by which the Enemy continues to distract us and keep us off the straight and narrow path. During my own layoff, one thought motivated me perhaps more than any other: “If I give up now, the turkeys win.” Now, “turkeys” is not exactly the word I used, to be perfectly honest. My semantics actually included a healthier dose of locker room motivation. But the Lord used the whole situation to make a very singular point nonetheless. Run to win. Don’t settle. Make no compromises. We are all in this for the long haul, and sprinters will burn out and be left behind. Stick to the final goal.

Since then, it is fair to say my life has been completely reordered, probably several times over. I no longer do so many things that I am daunted by my calendar. I do a few things better and some other things I used to do I now do not at all. Getting serious about training for the marathon that is life will do that. It clarifies priorities and helps define what is important over the long haul. It helps us be prepared to go the distance, whatever obstacles we may face along the course.

I am not aware of any athlete who ever won any real competition for which they did not prepare. Fact is, little in the way of achievement or endurance of any kind can be attained without adequate training. What I’m talking about is most definitely not the “worrying about tomorrow” which Jesus expressly forbade. It is simply the developing of the vision, perseverance and resources we require if we truly plan to be the examples, disciples and winners the Spirit calls us to be.

Grace notwithstanding, we must be prepared to win the victory God will give us, or we will lose heart long before the end. Does faith seem like too much effort or, worse, like just another human charade at this moment in light of circumstances? Perhaps it is because our hearts are not in it. The middle of the storm is where most decisions to abandon Christ and His Kingdom are made, and that is about the worst place possible to make any life-changing decisions. There’s no debating the fact that we face a very real Enemy and very real troubles that will tear our awareness of grace right out of our grasp if we are not prepared to withstand the onslaught. The great good news is that, with a singular, committed focus on Christ and His power, we can be prepared to win, whatever the situation.