Mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes. Some of us make more than others, and certainly it seems we make more than our fair share. Mistakes come in many forms. There are mistakes that are just that ~ mistakes. Your mistake might be making a wrong turn, forgetting to buy milk, or forgetting to put said milk in the refrigerator after you went back to the store to buy it.

Other mistakes are far more serious. I'm referring to those mistakes that really should be called sin. We tend to gloss over some of the sin in our lives and just call them mistakes. While sins of commission certainly qualify as mistakes, we must come to a place in our lives when we deal with sin as sin, and repent of it. That repentance will result in running as far and as fast as we can away from the sin.

When we make a mistake, whether the wrong turn kind, or the more serious sinful kind, we should determine to learn from it. If I have been confronted by my sin, my remorse should never merely be one of being caught. The godly remorse shows sorrow and a genuine desire to make it right. Repentance will involve turning from sin and moving back toward Christ. He wants to forgive and restore our relationship with Him, but it cannot happen with known, unconfessed sin in our lives.

David, when he was confronted by Nathan in his sin with Bathsheba, prayed that God would create in him a clean heart, renew a right spirit within him, and restore the joy of his salvation. David promised that he would devote himself to teaching transgressors their ways. He learned from his mistake, er, sin, and earnestly sought God's forgiveness. It would produce a complete change of heart attitude in his life.

I'm thankful that God forgives our sin. I'm glad to be able to claim John's reminder that if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). I'm glad God is gracious and longsuffering. He is patient with us and forgives us again and again. But, that's no excuse to keep on making the same mistakes, committing the same sin time and again.

While learning from our mistakes is vitally important, and God's grace continues to cover a multitude of sin, consider taking this thought with you: Living for Christ trumps any mistake we may learn from ~ all the time. In other words, don't try to see how many mistakes you can make so you can learn from them. Instead, strive to live for Christ all the time.

Resting Sports Stars ~ Good or Bad Practice?

Those who know me well understand that I am indeed a sports junkie. Some might even call me a sports geek. After all, I am the one who would listen to a looped sports talk show (one that is simply repeated every half-hour or hour, etc.) or watch a game that happened earlier, even if I've already seen it. Shoot, I'm the guy who would go to the game, have it recorded while I'm there, and then watch it when I get home!

Some of the sports pundits the last few days have been jawing back and forth about play-off bound teams resting their star players during the last few regular season games. They are understanably excusing those with minor, nagging injuries; in effort to have them as close to 100% ready for playoff action. The controversy comes about in resting players that are healthy and ready for action. The debate is lively on both sides of the coin, and I suppose there are convincing arguments either way.

While sitting in a restaurant recently, I posed the question to my 17-year old daughter from the business standpoint. The fan pays $100 for a ticket and wants to watch the team, including the star player, play. The star sits, and the fan feels slighted. Right or wrong, fair or foul, good or bad?

Her first reaction is, "It's just a game. I'm not going to pay $100 to sit there and watch grown men play a game, anyway." I see her point, but taking that human interest factor out of the equation, the fact remains, that the consumer is paying a chunk of change to watch a competitive game.

Consider this. The team has secured a spot in the playoffs. The coach does not want to risk unnecessary injury to a key player, and maybe the long season is taking its toll on the human body. Resting the player(s) can prove damaging to the routine of the athletes. Just ask the Indianapolis Colts. The athletes need to stay sharp and focused on the job at hand.

Put the starting players on the court (or field, as the case may be), let him get his statistical average, then let him sit. This accomplishes many goals: the athlete stays sharp and focused in his energies, the team does not lose the needed rhythm entering the postseason, the fans are able to see the stars AND the reserves who need the playing time. Everyone wins.

The injury factor is there in any sport. No one wants to get hurt, much less in a 'meaningless' game. But I submit, any game has meaning ~ to someone. Don't take away the competitive edge for any team. Make the game fair in every aspect. Start the same team you'd start if it were in the middle of the season. Its just the right thing to do.

Time Warp

I have known for some time that I needed to post a blog. For whatever reason, I've just not done it. Frankly, when I looked at the last time I had posted a blog, I was shocked. I didn't think it had been that long. Whew...

I hope you'll forgive the delay. It has seemed like life has moved at warp speed. My intentions are to get better at blogging ~ as opposed to clogging. In any event, stop by often. If I've not posted anything recently, go ahead and comment to that affect.