That title probably seems highly out of place.\u00a0 After all, I have said from the pulpit many times, “control is just an illusion.”\u00a0 Hopefully by the end of this post it will make sense what I mean by this title.<\/p>\n
My beloved Virginia Tech Hokies have contributed to a high anxiety level this college football season.\u00a0 This past Thursday was especially rough as I watched a team play 58 minutes of excellent football against a very good team.\u00a0 Yet college football fans know that the game is 60 minutes long and so you can imagine even if you didn’t watch the game that something went terribly wrong in the last two minutes of the game. Something did go terribly wrong, the defense forgot to tackle the man with the ball which is fundamental to playing good defense.\u00a0 The Hokies let another game get away from them.\u00a0 It would be easy for both the offense and the defense to point fingers at each other and say “you didn’t do your job.”\u00a0 The defense could say “if the offense would have gotten a first down then they may have been able to score a touchdown or run more time off the clock and we could have won.”\u00a0 The offense could say “we got you the lead but you couldn’t stop them from scoring so it is your fault.”\u00a0 Both sides would have valid arguments, but it wouldn’t change the outcome.\u00a0 What does all of this have to do with us walking closer with Christ?<\/p>\n
In football, if you play offense you can’t control what the defense does and vice versa.\u00a0 As a pitcher, I could not control if the batter hit the ball, the catcher caught the ball, or even if the umpire made a correct call.\u00a0 All I could do is make sure that I threw the ball where I was suppose to.\u00a0 In life you can’t control many of the situations you find yourself in.\u00a0 All you can control is how you handle them, and thus the name of this post.\u00a0 Jesus said in Matthew 5:44, “But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”\u00a0 I cannot control the circumstances of life, but I certainly can control how I respond to them.\u00a0 Truthfully speaking how I respond in a given situation is an indication of my faith in Christ.\u00a0 Do I trust that Christ can work through any and all situations?\u00a0 Do I trust that God is going to take these difficult circumstances and work them out for the best?<\/p>\n
In response to what the offense or defense could have said to each other after Thursday’s game, I would say they are both right.\u00a0 However, I would also say, if you would have simply done what you were suppose to, it wouldn’t have mattered what the other side of the ball did.\u00a0 You may not control what happens in your life, but it is possible for you to control how you handle it.\u00a0 Let’s make sure we handle it in a way that glorifies our Father in heaven and that sets an example for believers and unbelievers alike.<\/p>\n
By His grace and through His strength may we live for Him!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
That title probably seems highly out of place.\u00a0 After all, I have said from the pulpit many times, “control is just an illusion.”\u00a0 Hopefully by the end of this post it will make sense what I mean by this title. … Read More