"I used to be afraid of failing at the things that really mattered to me, now I'm more afraid of succeeding at things that don't matter. " - Bob Goff Love Does
Losing the state football championship my senior year of high school was one of the most depressing, and at the moment, devastating moments of my life. Not only did I want to win, but I also did not want to be remembered as part of the team that didn't win because that was a big deal in my hometown. A red trophy does not seem to shine the same way a blue trophy does in the display case. As an 18 year old young man, this was a huge issue for me. I soon realized though, that nobody outside of that small southeastern New Mexico town really cared that much about our high school football team, at least not near as much as I had presumed. I apologize for the spoiler alert for those of you who live, breathe, and eat Artesia Bulldog football.
This was just one of many lessons for me about what matters most in life. I also wanted to secure a nice income and have a career in physical therapy or sports medicine where I could somehow be connected to the sports industry. Now, I bring home an average salary and the closest I get to the field is when I go out and school some teenagers in a game of flag football. But hey, at least I'm playing on Sundays.
I am guilty, like many others, of having a skewed view of God's plan for me. I want God to want for me what I want for me. I believe that what matters most to me, probably matters most to God. As a result of that, I have spent a lot of time and energy chasing after things only to find out they do not matter as much as I previously thought. My friend Stuart Hall recently said: "It doesn't really matter what you're living for unless what you're living for really matters." The apostle Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." I don't want to come to the end of my days and realize I missed the prize. I don't want to earn the wrong paycheck. I don't want to live in the wrong place. I don't want to achieve the wrong accolade. I don't want to win the wrong trophy.
Red trophies will not last. Blue trophies will not last. Much of what we long for will not last very long at all. What crown are you chasing that will not last? Live on purpose. Matter for what matters.
