LIFE'S FACE OFF
This lacrosse mom’s secret weapon?
A clanging cowbell rang furiously from my viewpoint high up in the bleachers.
I had an out of body experience while employing it once - so sure that my actions were influencing the progress down on the playing field, that I lost all sense of reality.
In fact, I was so hell-bent to vicariously shove that ball through the opposing jerseys that I pushed fellow spectators away by breaking our shared sound barrier.
In the final seconds of double overtime, the players’ colors became mixed together - green, white, red and black - as sight of the ball was lost in the frantic motion of titanium and mesh.
A motion of victory held high and a goalie’s dropped chin signified game over.
The underdog wins.
I contributed nothing to it.
I was just making noise.
Such is the game of life sometimes.
We sit calling plays out from our vantage point on the sidelines, adding to the confusion, yet only the players with shoes on the turf and years spent wearing the uniform know how much harder it is to perform perfectly during the game than to simply commentate.
A stadium’s emotional roar for their team can also drown out the still, quiet voice of the Coach, wisely directing His players toward the real goal. For a win is not really a win if it comes from a player scoring against his own team - the team of humanity.
For in God’s eyes, we have been created and selected for His sacred roster, to move toward the common goal of liberty and justice for all by carefully listening to One Voice, the voice of Jesus, Who already secured victory for all mankind by spilling His blood on the field.
As His representatives, we are called to recognize and unite against His sworn enemy, Satan, who opposes our desire to take hold of that trophy by sending in plays of deception and hate.
Let us send a unified message to our true opposition, evil, not people; by carefully following God’s playbook and standing shoulder to shoulder in love.
“For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers of this dark age.” Ephesians 6:12