Tip of My Iceberg

photo courtesy of Conner Coyne on Unsplash

We’ve been a soccer family since my kids discovered the beautiful game when they were young.

Our grands now play with gusto and intensity.

We’ve watched all six of our kids play soccer and have learned much of the rules and philosophy behind how the game is played.

We’ve also become aware of the challenges of anything that a person faces when they throw themselves into something heart and soul.

Three of our daughters had aspirations of playing soccer in college. One actually began her university career being able to play.

The other two were held back by an injury way too many soccer players experience–an ACL tear. The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the key ligaments that stabilize the knee joint.

For women especially, this injury happens too frequently.

Both Heather and Debbie, during their senior year in high school, experienced such an injury. Something that would take them out of the game for a year, a game they loved and had invested so much time and energy in.

It was a dream that blew away like smoke in the wind.

They did get to play in college, but it wasn’t with the results they’d hoped for. It would have been easy to become disappointed. Instead of bemoaning their rotten luck, they readjusted their focus. They were able to use their skill set and knowledge of the game in a more powerful way.

Too often I recognize that I’ve allowed something or someone to have way more impact on my life than should happen. Whether it’s investing too much in a work project where the focus becomes overwhelming or someone I want to impress or get to know who occupies more of my heart and mind than I want, allowing others or things to have that much control over my life can only lead to disaster.

We work hard at our jobs, seeking to meet up to other’s expectations that are often unrealistic, just because we want the accolades or acceptance that others can give us. We also want to influence others with those things in our lives that are meaningful to us.

We make idols out of things and people, none of which can truly save us or increase our value.

In ancient times, idol worship was characterized by the use of small statues of gods and goddesses and practices that would gratify these deities. These gods weren’t caring about their followers–people did things to gain favor, often out of fear or despair.

To the Hebrew people, God gave ten commandments that would help them understand what right living in a godly way looked like. There are also laws that most people find helpful in living with integrity.

The first commandment set the tone for what God expected.

“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but Me.” Exodus 20:2-3

This wasn’t an attitude of arrogance on God’s part; He needed His people to see that He was enough to satisfy their needs. He alone is personal, willing to engage with His people, giving love in abundance, forgiveness without holding back, grace unlimited.

Jesus taught the same principle, and His disciples shared it freely.

“All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the Eternal King, the Unseen One who never dies; He alone is God. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17

Having a relationship with the God of the universe, of all creation, sounds incredible. A God who loves and cares for His people, not because of what they can do for Him, but because He chooses to love us.

There will always be those people or things in life that demand more of us than what we can give. Sports. Work. Relationships. Possessions. We can let those things control us, cause our perspective to be warped by such focus, or we can let go of those things and reach out to God for His love and comfort.

It’s not a game anyone wants to lose.