You Think You Have It Bad?

Recently I was having a conversation with a friend of mine, and as most conversations go with most every guy, things eventually shifted towards sports.  As we talked about our favorite teams, my friend was lamenting about the current status of his patron team.  When he continued to complain about his suffering through a rough season for his team, I retorted with the statement; “Well you think you have it bad…let’s talk about my teams.”  When I divulged the teams I passionately follow, I soon found myself at the brunt of ridicule and banter.  You see, it’s been some dry days for me as an avid sports fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs (insert your Canucks fan jokes here____), Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Raiders, and Michigan Wolverines.  In fact the winning percentage of these teams combined over the past 2 years is a paltry .385%, so the only saving grace I have as a sports fan is my beloved Los Angeles Lakers and hometown Windsor Spitfires, both of whom won championships last season (NBA & Memorial Cup champs).

Now if you’re a sports fan, you will undoubtedly, at some point, have to endure some hard times as your team rebuilds or re-invents itself.  If you’ve followed a successful team, you can just take it granted that every year will be followed by a long playoff run, division titles…and perhaps a coveted championship trophy.  Sports can be very humbling…one moment your team is at the top, and 2 seasons later you’re considering adopting another franchise to follow.  When a few flourish, others must suffer…some are always worse off than others.

This got me thinking about the ways the Lord has blessed me, and my family, and how I can often take things for granted.  As I write this blog, we are currently in Anaheim, California enjoying a Disney vacation with the family, and loving every minute of it.  On Sunday we walked down Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Blvd, Vine St. and Santa Monica Blvd in Beverly Hills and downtown Hollywood.  As we ventured around, we came into view of the abundant wealth of the suburbanites, and the poverty of the homeless and addicted.  In one moment I was thinking about how God has blessed me, and through His mercy saved me from possibly living on the streets or developing a substance addiction…and thanking Him that I was not in that situation.  Yet in another moment I’m reminded of the passage in Luke 18 when the Pharisee, wanting to draw attention to himself, prayed out loud and thanked God for; “not making me like one of these” (Luke 18:11).  Now that passage is in a totally different context about how this Pharisee garnered his worth and righteousness, but it did get me thinking about how I skimp on thanking God for His blessings, and often have a self-entitlement mindset.

I am constantly hearing about friends, colleagues and those in the community who are undergoing less-than-ideal situations in life.  While I’m certainly glad myself and family are not enduring similar hardships, it’s brought me to a closer awareness of two simple things.  First, I need to thank God more for His grace, mercy, love and presence in my daily life, and in the lives of my wife and kids.  I need to see things through my “spiritual eyes” more often to see the activity of the Holy Spirit at work within me…and to get on my knees and give praise and adoration for the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for me, and the human race.  Second, I need to pray more often for friends, colleagues, and those in the community who are going through rough times.  I need to show more interest and awareness in the state of affairs for those who need me to stand in the gap of prayer for them.  To spend more than the token 1 minute “interceding” on their behalf, and actually pressing in the throne room of prayer.  So that’s my goal, and hopefully the next time someone shares some news of misfortune and duress, and I say I’ll be praying for them, they will know I’m committed to doing just that!

As for my friend…do I feel bad that his Pittsburg Steelers are slumping?  Will I show more compassion during this rough spell in his sports zone?  Yeah…whatever!