Faith Family Football Challenge #2Sample

READ: JHN.15.12-17

WHAT’S YOUR DEFAULT?

We live in Colorado and skiing is a big part of our recreational lives. We ski regularly with friends and families and it’s a common occurrence for people to come into town to visit and we’ll take them skiing too.  We were out skiing with another family and the kids were out in front of us skiing away and goofing around as kids will do. The older kids decided to cut through the woods on some trails. One of my younger daughters followed them in there and I knew she was not quite as familiar with this area.  The older kids took the trail in the woods that led back out onto the trail, but my younger daughter missed that cutoff and was skiing toward a very big dropoff that she was completely unaware.  I went barreling in there, zipping quickly through the trees and came up alongside of her right before she was heading into the danger area and I was able to push her onto the right track but it sent me the wrong way. As I looked up, there was a tree right in front of me.  I dove to one side hoping to pull everything past the tree but one ski went on the other side of the tree, smashing my shin into the tree and spinning me around, landing me painfully in the deep powder.  I thought for sure my leg was broken. My younger daughter asked me if I was okay and I honestly answered, “I’m not sure.”  We radioed my wife and the others and they met us as I gingerly got myself back onto the slope and out of the woods. I skied on one leg down to the lodge. When we pulled up my ski pants, my leg was bashed up pretty good.  I still carry the scar on my left shin from that experience, but it is a reminder of something really important to me that I learned about myself - my default!  I love my kids and I would do anything for them… even risk my life and limbs.  I did not “plan” on being a hero or coming to save the day.  It’s just what I did. I did not think about it, I just did what needed to be done to save my daughter.  It was my “default.”  

As I mentioned a few days ago, I worked with our SWAT team for about 10 years and I can tell you, they train and train, and train and train, running through scenarios and drilling over and over and over. We did it in the Boy Scouts too. Practice tying knots, practicing first aid in extreme situations.  Why? Because when it all goes down, we want to do the right thing in the heat of the moment, not having to think twice about what the right thing is. We want our “default” to be the thing that saves lives and overcomes the bad situation.  

Create your default!

This reading plan might be your starting place for beginning that process of “training” every day, of creating your “default” by being in God’s word, by being around people who can teach you how to live in a way that truly impacts and influences those around you.  One of my mentors told me “draw a line in the sand on those things you do NOT want to do… then step back ten paces and draw another line.  Don’t ever cross THAT line!” In other words, have a plan for dealing with the positive and negative things in life, the things that you know might challenge you (you know what they are!) and have a plan for dealing with them BEFORE they are a problem.  Like the Boy Scout motto says, ”Be prepared!” For us that means having friends that we can be truly accountable to, that we can read, study, understand and apply the bible with, with whom we can pray and share our lives together.  Your participation in this reading plan shows you have a desire to live this way. Like it says in James 1:22 - Don’t just listen to the word - Do it!                

ASK God to show up, to join you in your time with Him today.

WRITE:  Write down a few of the things that you’d like to be able to “draw a line in the sand” on in your life. Write down some things you feel you are doing well, and then some things you’d like to do better. 

MEDITATE:  Pray about the things you’ve written down.  Pray for God’s Holy Spirit to “nudge” you with anything you might being struggling with, and give you something to focus on that is His plan for your day.  

VIDEO:

Manny Ramirez, NFL Super Bowl Player