Goal!

My son Andrew plays on a local travel soccer team. Over the course of two seasons he has become the team’s starting goalie and is thriving in that position. He is becoming very vocal in positioning his teammates and is really learning how to anticipate where a shot will come from, etc. He’s learned how to be aggressive and cut down a shooter's angle to the goal, etc. Yet, he still gives up a goal from time to time and gets frustrated. No matter how hard he works there is always a possibility that the other team will get a good shot off that he just can’t stop. There is also a possibility of a communication break down or lazy teammate who doesn’t do their part, which can result in a goal for the opponent as well.

As I’ve been teaching Andrew about playing goal, one thing we’ve really worked hard on is knowing that he isn’t going to be perfect in goal all the time. There will be times when a ball gets through even in near-perfect circumstances. The hardest part is making sure when this happens he doesn’t become frustrated. He has to accept this possibility and do what he can to keep that from happening, but know in the back of his head that it’s always possible.

This has me thinking about my own Christian walk. What a lesson to learn, eh? No matter how good our defenses are, there is always a possibility that the enemy will get through our defenses. We can stop attempt after attempt, but there is always the possibility that something will go wrong and something bad will happen, even in the best of circumstances. The key is not to get overly frustrated when it happens. We have to figure out how they “scored” and take steps to not allow it to happen again. Just like Andrew, we have to continually practice to make ourselves better. In order for our defenses to be at full strength we always have to be on alert. Sometimes the enemy will come with only one attempt. Other times they’ll take multiple shots. Some times, they’ll even “score”.

Do you work on your “game” every day? Have you learned from the various attempts to “score” on you and worked to get better at keeping those advances away? If you want to continue to thrive in your Christian walk you have to keep working to make your “team” stronger. The more defenders you have in the way, the easier it’s going to be to be great at defending your goal.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

For the last few weeks I’ve been helping coach my son Andrew’s soccer team. I’ve taken a lot of interest in helping with the goalies, mostly because that is Andrew’s position. The other reason, above getting to spend time with him, is because I used to play sweeper/stopper in HS and college and had previously worked a lot with the goalies so I know the position pretty well.

One thing that we’ve really been working on with the goalies is knowing when it’s a good time to attack the ball coming at them, and when it’s a good time to sit and wait to see the play develop. There is a really fine line for them to walk between being aggressive and being overly aggressive. They have to develop their instincts and know their own abilities, know their teammates, etc.

This has me thinking about my responsibility as a Christian in disciplemaking. I think when talking with “the lost” there is also a fine line we have to walk. I want to go out there and reach all that I can, but sometimes it’s easy to be overly aggressive and therefore turn the target off of Christ altogether. Some people need a hard push, some just need a gentle nudge, and it’s my responsibility to figure out the situation and make the decision that is best for my “team”. I also have to attempt to know the efforts others are making to speak into the life of said target and make sure we’re not being overly aggressive as a whole as well. There is a lot to think of, but if it was easy anyone could do it, right?

So, my question for you this week is if you know when you should stay or when you should go? Do you know when to really push His word, and when to just give a gentle nudge? Just like Andrew and his goal-keeping abilities, there is a fine line that has to be walked. Yet, when the goal is just and your intentions are pure, then the actions put forth can be the difference between victory and defeat. Go team God!