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This game will test your spirit

blog_765768_2847920_1455200994I’m not sure where I first heard this “phrase,” but likely a motivation read.  It stood out and I hope it does to you as well.  The truth is life is hard; it tests your spirit, sometimes multiple times a day.  Using the football theme for this week, Sunday’s game was hard at times for each of the players and coaches and God knows for the fans. (Thank you Joe and Sam for betting on the Panthers:  I officially won a bet and do expect my cash!).  While I don’t believe there is always a winner and a loser, I do believe we have to be “Game Ready” for whatever might happen.  As I’ve gotten older and a bit wiser, these unexpected tackles, or in some cases, “sacks” don’t (normally) take me by surprise anymore.  I have developed the following game plan to be as ready as possible:

  1. Assume positive intent-  Okay, so it’s true, Von MIller gets paid to go after the quarterback, but thankfully for us, most of us don’t have folks that are paid to take us down.  (Although sometimes it sure seems that way).  I have learned to always assume positive intent.  Heck, maybe they just had a personal loss, or their work life is just a wreck. Give grace and mercy every chance you get.
  2. Move on quickly- People have bad days, bad weeks and some people seem to live in constant chaos.  When you get tackled- don’t hang out there.  As you try to focus on giving grace (unmerited forgiveness is my favorite definition of that word-) you will find this step is much easier to embrace.  We were all wired with different talents and personality quirks, so take it all in, learn something from it and move on.

So here’s the deal-  tackles and sacks come in the form of rude or misunderstood comments, sarcasm, bad drivers, personal losses, illness, late alarm clocks, and the list goes on.  Some days they come at us hard.  My hope is that you will develop a personal game plan to not only pass the test, but be able to use the test to tell a great story (testimony), and help others along the way.

Cheers!

(Photo Creds:  We Heart It)