GuardTheDish: February 2014

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Is Second Place Really First Loser?

How many times in your life have you heard the "Second Place is First Loser" comment made? Being an athlete back in the day and a coach now, I have heard this many times, but can this really be true? To me, the answer is no, and there is one reason and one reason only why I feel this way, and His name is Jesus Christ!

Too often we get caught up in winning and being the best at our particular sport, craft, job, or whatever it may be in life that we strive to be the best at, and lose focus on what really matters the most. I admit that there have been times that I have done the same thing, and it is easy to do if you are completely focused on being the best at what you do. Now, I'm not saying that striving to be the best at what you do is wrong by any means. What I am saying is that we should strive to be the best that we can be for God and give Him the glory in all that we do.

I recently came across a website that really intrigued me and made me think about this very topic. It is called I Am Second. It is about putting God before ourselves in life instead of focusing solely on living life selfishly for good old number one (Us). It is very humbling and some of the stories of these athletes and regular average joes just like you and me, giving testimonies of how God changed their lives and they started to live for Him and His will instead of their own selfish wants and needs are truly amazing. One person you may recognize that is part of this movement and gives his testimony is Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols. I highly recommend that you take a look at this website and become a part of the I Am Second movement. It can change your life.

So, again, I ask you, Is second place really first loser? The answer is simple, no. Our focus in life should be on God and striving to be the best players we can be on His team and giving Him all the glory while doing so. We are called to be on God's team. He wants us to accept Him into our lives and get to work bringing people to Him so He can change their lives and add them to His team and His kingdom. There is no greater team to be on, and no greater feeling than being second to such a wonderful Savior! My name is Ricky Howell, and I am Second.

The I Am Second website is Iamsecond.com.

Playing The Entire Game

Have you ever played in that game where the other team had a huge inning and all of the sudden you are down three or four runs or more, or in basketball, where the other team made a big run and you went form being up a few to down ten or more? More importantly, in the game of life when the chips are down and things aren't going your way and things just keep piling up and there seems to be no end in sight, how do you handle that situation? Do you hang your head and just give up? Or do you weather the storm and persevere continuing to fight your way back into the game?

I sports and in life, there are going to be may obstacles in your way that are there to prevent you from reaching your ultimate goal, and that is winning and being successful. In sports, there are going to be times when you will be down a few runs or down fifteen points, and that's when you have to really dig in and climb your way back into the game. That's why you play all 21/27 outs in baseball, all four quarters/both halves in basketball and all four quarters in football. The game is not over because of one bad inning, one big run, or quarter. You have to play the entire game.

In life, the devil is relentlessly chasing after you to keep you from accepting Christ into your life by deceiving you and making you think that things are better than they really are. If you are a Christian, he is trying to tear you away from Christ and get you back on his side, by tempting you with things that entice you to stray from God. You always have to have your guard up and be alert to the fact that the devil is trying to take you away from God, just like God is wanting you to accept Him into your life and live for Him. This battle is raging and is very real.

There will be times in our lives where things keep piling up and we feel that there is no way out of the struggles we have. This is a time when we turn to God and lean on Him. He will help us persevere and get through all of our struggles and problems. Its easy to quit and give up, which is exactly what the devil wants you to do, but staying the course and persevering to achieve that goal and defeat those struggles by leaning on God is the true way. God wants us to ask Him for help and accept Him into our lives. He will show us the way and give us the tools to be able to take on any struggles we may encounter in life. Don't let that one bad inning, big run, or the daily struggles of life define who you are. Give it all to God and He will help you to persevere and defeat those struggles.