Idleness and Offseasons

As primarily a baseball fan these days, the offseason can be pretty maddening. On one hand, I'm excited that I have time to look deeper into issues on my mind, like Minor Leaguers, trades, and salaries, but the lack of actual sport tends to lead to me over-analyzing everything. I can become overly critical of others too, since the lack of sport forces me to rely on other people for nourishment, and that always leads to disappointment.

For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. -- 2nd Thessalonians 3:14

It's easy in times of idleness to fall into such traps; by nature we are self concerned and judgmental. Fortunately God gave us something to help us avoid this: work. Work doesn't necessarily have to be your day job; it can be anything done for a purpose that brings glory to God. If you have 3 months off in the summer because you're a teacher, then volunteering at a day camp could be work. Writing a blog post could be work (at least I tell myself it is.) Processing your way through a commentary on the book of Isaiah could be work.

The point is that idleness isn't of God. We all need rest; God commanded Elijah to go to sleep when the world became too much for him. That said, if you've come to the point that you're well rested enough to realize that the lack of work is affecting you negatively, then you need to get to work. God wants you to work, and through the experience rely on him so he can draw you closer to him. When we're idle, we're not relying on God at all, and we're not doing anything to change it. Remember that in everything we do, God should be glorified, and because of our selfish nature, they don't always come naturally. Strive for God, and you will find yourself doing great things solely on him carrying your works.

Dikembe Mutombo: Big; Nice Guy.

If you ever find a list of all around good guy athletes (especially good guy NBA players) Dikembe Mutombo will almost certainly be near the top of the list. He's well known in particular for his efforts to improve living conditions in The Republic of Congo, where he's originally from, going as far as donating more than 15 million dollars to building a hospital with modern facilities. That doesn't mean he's been without his controversy.

Mutombo has been known particularly for two strikes against him; taunting after blocking a shot, and dangerously flailing his elbows. With regards to the taunting, he would wave his finger in front of a player after blocking a shot, as if he was a parent that just took away a cookie from a mischievous child. It got bad enough that the league started calling a technical foul on him for Unsportsmanlike Conduct when he would do it. As for the arm waving, he's a big guy, and he plays aggressively, which causes him to push people away violently some times. In his own words, he doesn't mean to hurt anyone, but his position demands physical play, and the best he can do is to say Sorry, and move on.

I highlight Mutombo because he's a great example of how one can live their life in the world but still donate the fruits to God. Mutombo isn't a perfect man; he clearly has his faults, but he still makes great strides in giving the fruits of his labor to God. While it's good to try to strive for godliness in the work that you do, if you find joy in something and you're good at it, then you can use it for God. While I don't advocate sinking to obvious sin (don't become a mercenary assassin or anything) there's no reason secular work can't be used for God.

I once heard a speaker in college tell a shy Electrical Engineer, "If you're good at making money, go make money." God can use your pension for making money in extraordinary ways, and he did that with Dikembe Mutombo. He's used his basketball ability to build a hospital in the Congo, and he can use your difficult job to accomplish great things too. This isn't easy though; it requires incredible faith, diligence, and humility to keep relying on God. That said, God believes in you, else he wouldn't have put you where you are. Trust in God and give over the fruits of your labor, and be amazed at what he does with them.

"He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building." -- 1st Corinthians 3: 8-9

Playoffs and Pushing God Away

You've worked for so, so long to get to this point. You put in more practice than your opponents, worked harder, and wanted it more. All those days of twice daily practices and the special diets have paid off; you've made the playoffs. All you have to do is finish this up with your full, undivided effort, and then everything will be great. You'll have so much time to focus on God and you'll be able to get to everything you've been intending to the whole season. You'll finally read that book your parents gave you, catch up on the study you claim to have done already, and you'll pray more often for problems. If I just finish up this little thing here, then I'll give God all the attention he wants.

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit" -- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance, All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. -- James 4:13-17

It's a weird dichotomy when we feel like God has propelled us into a certain situation, but we feel like we need to put him aside to accomplish the goals we've given us. We may feel God has called us to sport, work, or any other activity, but right now it's just too stressful and tough to pray, read the word, or commune with believers. It's fine; I'll just put it off for a little bit, get the work done, and then I'll have plenty of time to focus on God again. What sort of standard does this set for our future?

1. We're falling into a habit of the world now, God later. Everyone has their own personal way of communing with God. Some pray constantly, some fast for wisdom, some study the word for revelations, etc. That doesn't mean that when push comes to shove, it's OK to put God off for a bit. Our love for God should be so powerful that it shouldn't even be a choice, and every time we make that choice against God, we're letting sin take hold.
2. We're pushing God out of our world. In Acts, God says that his people did everything together in the Lord. God gave Adam work to do in order to glorify God. We should be confident that God has given us the work in front of us and we don't need to push him out. God doesn't just want the private time when we can afford it; he wants our lunch breaks, our 3:00 meeting, our family dinners, and our 4th quarters. Don't push God away; allow him to take the reins in the hard times and let him show you and everyone else his plan and power.
3. We're trying to accomplish goals in order to earn time with God. Deep down we feel like we have to get this work done so that we can be guilt and conscious free when we come to God. God does not call the proud, the accomplished, and the strong. God wants you to come to him weak, humble, and empty so that he can fill you with himself. He wants to take care of the hard times, not just the easy ones.

When you get to the playoffs of life, don't push God out. Don't just wait for tomorrow for God; you don't know what's going to happen today. Let God rule today and let him worry about what will happen tomorrow too.