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Mid-season trades

13 Mar

Well, it’s that time of year again—the time when the NBA shuffles its talent pool through some mid-season trades. Even though it’s a little weird to watch players get traded away to other franchises like human poker cards, the trades usually don’t bother me unless they involve one of my favorite players (I still don’t think the Lakers will move Pau Gasol). They’re usually just fodder for endless sports gossip and speculation.

However, as this year’s trade deadline approaches a persistent thought keeps running through my head, and I find myself wondering if I need to make any trades in my own life. I wonder if I’m still on target to hit the goals of my life and calling, or if I’ve gotten too comfortable in the status quo. If championship teams are willing to make tough trades to stay competitive in something as temporal as basketball, shouldn’t you and I be willing to trade or sacrifice in our pursuit of Jesus Christ?

Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Are we in competitive shape–ready to run God’s race for us–or do we need to make some tough, intentional trades? Are we carrying any baggage that will bog us down, or are we on track to say, “I have done the will of Him who sent me”?

Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers (Photo credit: RMTip21)

Heart re-calibrations

4 Jan
speedometer

Image by Sean MacEntee via Flickr

When I was a sophomore in college I tried talking my way out of a speeding ticket. It was one of those sneaky tickets where the officer didn’t actually catch my speed on radar, but instead “paced” me from his car in front of me. When I showed up for my court date I asked the judge what I thought was a brilliant question that would surely sway him in my favor. I asked: “When was the last time the police officer’s car had its speedometer calibrated?”

Instead of appreciating my inquiry and ordering an assessment of the patrol car’s speedometer accuracy, the judge shook his head, upheld my full fine, and dismissed me so he could move on to the next case. However, even though the question didn’t impress the court, I still think it’s one that we should consider—especially at the beginning of a New Year.

“When was the last time we had our hearts re-calibrated?”

It’s quite likely that the highs and lows and victories and defeats of 2011 have tweaked our hearts’ alignment and gotten them distracted from what is really important. Rather than fixating on a list of resolutions or things we need to change in 2012, I think we should start our year by taking time to quiet our souls and re-align them to the image and purpose of Christ.

In Psalm 131:2 King David wrote, “I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother is my soul within me.”

Quieting, stilling, and refocusing our souls on Jesus Christ is the starting point for a dynamic New Year.

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