The above question was posed this weekend by a basketball coach that is helping our daughter and some other girls improve their basketball skills. Our family is a ‘sports’ family. Sports is the avenue the Lord has used in our lives to develop character. The visiting coach said some very interesting things that apply to the game of life and not just basketball. The coach has me thinking about areas of my own life that I need to look at more closely. Here are a few of the things he said…
- Talent and ability are given at birth, but skill is not given–it has to be earned, learned and worked on.
- Goal can not be ‘to be perfect’–only God is perfect–but goal is to improve
- Are you driven to improve?
- You can control…
…How hard you work
…How long you work
…Your attitude about work
…Your decisions about your work
…Who you will listen to?
The coach was saying how everyone wants to play the game but few want to do what it takes to develop skill off the court to make us better players. One example is that people will show up to church on Wednesday night or Sunday morning to play the game of ‘church’ but few will do what it takes to develop our relationship with the Lord or one another.
Back to the question at hand…are your dreams and goals big enough to get your butt out of bed? Are your dreams and goals big enough for you to do ‘whatever it takes’ to see those dreams and goals fulfilled? I am currently working as a teacher assistant with exceptional children–I feed, diaper, lift, teach ABC’s, math, get hit, pinched and slobbered on. I wouldn’t say it is my dream job–definitely not my dream pay:)…but there is something precious about working with ‘the least of these’ in our society. I am learning a lot about our society and about myself and coworkers. I am stretched daily in my attitudes…but that’s not my point–I am working and ‘doing whatever it takes’ to help my husband, kids and yes, myself, realize our dreams and goals. Without my paycheck we could not do some of the things we dream about as a family.
We could not have our non-profit ministry Living Hope without my help in the work place. There would be no sporting events, food, trips, vacations, etc. I am willing to work to help make up the extra that the ministry isn’t able to bring in right now. I would love to be able stay at home and work alongside my husband in ministry on a daily basis, even though I still do this in a limited capacity, I am not able to do that right now. The reality is that I will be working for the next 10-15 years outside the home and ministry, unless we are given a large sum of money, to help provide for our family.
It is not ‘just a paycheck’ to me though, it is working hard to see dreams and goals fulfilled in my husband and children’s lives. I am being stretched, developing my skills for life, and doing whatever it takes to get my butt out of bed for dreams to be fulfilled. I don’t want to wait for someone else to ‘do’ something to make it happen, no more excuses…God has given me my talent and ability–I’m ready to do the work needed to see dreams fulfilled.
A Net of Hope 