I went to a Swannies game yesterday. We got smashed. It was very sad. But it got me thinking. There are two types of people. There are those who support loudly, who cheer, who wear the team colours, who raise their children to be avid supporters. Yet when their team is down and it looks like it's all over, they cut and run. (This is understandable when you know what the traffic is like). But there are those who also support loudly, cheer, wear the team colours, raise their children to love the team and when their team is losing - shock horror - they stick around.
I am one of the latter. (When it comes to being a Swannies supporter anyway). Part of this is my stubborn nature. Part of it is that I've paid good money to watch a whole game & enjoy the kick to kick. And part of it is because I have stickability. I will hang in there to the very end, still encouraging the boys and willing them to finish well. It genuinely worries me to think how the players feel when they see hundreds of supporters who were cheering for them an hour ago turning tail and heading home, emptying a stadium that was previously a sea of red and white. Perhaps more importantly, what message do we send to our children?
Now you may be thinking - it's just footy - seriously, get over it! But it's not just footy. It's life. We all get caught in the same trap. We might be hanging in there through sickness or loss or a rotten job or a difficult relationship. But we stop cheering. We take off our team colours. We start to look at the world outside whatever stadium we're currently in and it looks like a good option. We start to forget which team we belong to and who our coach is. The truth is we're hanging in there through the bad stuff, but we've stopped hanging out for the good stuff to happen. We've lost hope.
1 Peter 1:6 says: "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while."(NLT)
We need to be truly glad. We need to find our joy in hope. Paul tells us that hope isn't hope if you can see it. It's not crazy to take joy in something that hasn't happened, isn't likely or you haven't seen. It's optimism. And if you're in a relationship with Jesus - it's one of his best gifts!
Our kids don't need to see us throwing our hands up in the air in despair. They don't need to hear us whining about how bad the ref is and how unfair the calls are. They don't need to see us getting frustrated with other supporters. They don't need us to take them with us when we opt out and leave when the game's not over.
Rather than hanging in there and just being miserable, our kids need to see us cheering, wearing the team colours and hanging out for a better future. It is their future after all.
Sunday 22 May 2011
Tuesday 17 May 2011
The best label maker ever!
Labels. They're everywhere. TV shows have rating labels. Food has nutrition labels. Machinery has safety labels. People have labels too. I have at least five of my own that spring to mind immediately. These are things that people would say I am. I have an officer label, a mother label, a sister-in-law label, a daughter label and a friend label.
The thing is that there are other labels people use that may not be so helpful. These are the labels that aren't simply descriptive of a role or responsibility. They may not even be accurate. They may be out of date. Some of them were never right to begin with. These are the labels that hold us back. They mess with the plans God has for us and they limit the way we see ourselves and each other. Not to mention the fact that they hurt and can often carry with them shame and guilt. Some of the labels that come to mind include "promiscuous", "addict", "criminal", "stupid", "no good", "class clown", the list goes on.
I'll give you another more subtle example. I also carry the labels "outspoken" and "wife". Now on their own they appear fine. Put them together and depending on your theology, your cultural background and your own hang-ups they can be not so fine. They can carry judgement. They can steal confidence. They can create doubt about God's purpose for your life.
Yet when we come into a relationship with God he says in his word that he will give us a new name. (Isaiah 62:2) A new label if you like. He says that we are are made into new people. (2 Corinthians 5:17) He promises us a new purpose. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Romans 12:2 says:
"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
As we are transformed, we find that God can use those old labels for his honour. He can turn negative, untrue or even shameful labels into stories of victory that give others hope and confidence. He can change the way we see those old labels. What once condemned us becomes a testimony of God's grace.
The thing is, we need to be aware of these labels and the effect they have on us. We need to keep close to God and know when to own the label, when to rip it off and throw it away, or when to slap a "grace" sticker over it.
We also need to make sure we don't start being a human label maker ourselves, putting a label on people according to our views, our understanding or our attitudes. This is particularly true of the young people we influence. What we say to them has a massive effect on the way they see themselves and the world they are a part of. We need to encourage, equip and inspire them through the language we use. And we need to demonstrate actions that back it up.
After all is said and done... the only label I want on me is a "This person belongs to Jesus " one. Unlike my kids' clothes I won't get lost. But it's nice to know there's someone who'd keep looking until he found me if I did. :)
The thing is that there are other labels people use that may not be so helpful. These are the labels that aren't simply descriptive of a role or responsibility. They may not even be accurate. They may be out of date. Some of them were never right to begin with. These are the labels that hold us back. They mess with the plans God has for us and they limit the way we see ourselves and each other. Not to mention the fact that they hurt and can often carry with them shame and guilt. Some of the labels that come to mind include "promiscuous", "addict", "criminal", "stupid", "no good", "class clown", the list goes on.
I'll give you another more subtle example. I also carry the labels "outspoken" and "wife". Now on their own they appear fine. Put them together and depending on your theology, your cultural background and your own hang-ups they can be not so fine. They can carry judgement. They can steal confidence. They can create doubt about God's purpose for your life.
Yet when we come into a relationship with God he says in his word that he will give us a new name. (Isaiah 62:2) A new label if you like. He says that we are are made into new people. (2 Corinthians 5:17) He promises us a new purpose. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Romans 12:2 says:
"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
As we are transformed, we find that God can use those old labels for his honour. He can turn negative, untrue or even shameful labels into stories of victory that give others hope and confidence. He can change the way we see those old labels. What once condemned us becomes a testimony of God's grace.
The thing is, we need to be aware of these labels and the effect they have on us. We need to keep close to God and know when to own the label, when to rip it off and throw it away, or when to slap a "grace" sticker over it.
We also need to make sure we don't start being a human label maker ourselves, putting a label on people according to our views, our understanding or our attitudes. This is particularly true of the young people we influence. What we say to them has a massive effect on the way they see themselves and the world they are a part of. We need to encourage, equip and inspire them through the language we use. And we need to demonstrate actions that back it up.
After all is said and done... the only label I want on me is a "This person belongs to Jesus " one. Unlike my kids' clothes I won't get lost. But it's nice to know there's someone who'd keep looking until he found me if I did. :)
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