The other night I caught a stomach bug, vomiting, toilet trouble all that wonderful stuff. With all the vomiting my stomach muscles are in knots, I’m in so much pain I have to lean over to walk or sleep in the fetal position just to be comfortable.
Today, I decided to stay back from ministry, so I could have some extra time to sleep and relax my body after what I just put it through. I was sweating, tossing and turning, so much noise that it wasn’t happening. So there is only one thing a person can do when he doesn’t feel well, go and play some basketball with the local kids. I know what you thinking, “If you didn’t have the energy to go and do ministry why on earth would you get up and do something more physical.” I can’t explain it but if I wasn’t resting the first couple of hours then why waste more time just rolling around and sweating. I guess sometimes you have to wing it and get through the pain. I wish I had that same attitude this morning so I could be with my team and be present but the Lord works all things out for his purpose.
Anyway, in Central America it seemed like the sport to play was soccer, not a fan at all. I get to the Philippines and everywhere I look there are a group of kids playing basketball. If you haven’t figured it out, I love basketball, I played basketball for years growing up. I was the best at the cross over dribble, I wanted to be like my favorite basketball player growing up, Tim Hardaway, who played for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA, he was the best at cross over dribbling. Off topic but there is a group of locals that play Chess, these guys are serious too! Yes! I am fan of Chess and I like to play, I watched several games already, these dudes play for real, they got their game face on, they play for Paso’s, cigarettes, there is no joking around with these dudes but I would like to have a game or two with this one dude, he is pretty good. Can’t wait! Yeah, you would think because I am Canadian I would be fan of that good old hockey game and a game of cards or something. I am so blessed because I get to share my gifts, hobbies with people that have the same interest. I literally step outside where we are staying and we are right on the basketball court. How awesome is that? Since I have been here I have already had some games with such great players. I am honoured because these great players keep asking me repeatedly to slam dunk. I tell them “it’s too high and I am in my sandals,” what do they want from me I laugh. I keep trying for them though, I think by the end of this month they will see a slam dunk.
Every time I play, I keep missing my shots? If we are just shooting for fun or having a game I haven’t had one shot in. These people must think I am a joke, I can play well and I got some moves but I can’t make one basket yet. I am thinking is there something wrong with these nets? Maybe it’s the smell? We are by a river where there are so many toxins in the air. I know I have to concentrate on where I step, I am thankful to have a court just outside but it’s hard to play when there are piles of dog crap everywhere or a lot of the locals’ hork on the ground. Yeah, I don’t want the basketball rolling into that. The basketball pretty much sucks too. I think I am focused so much on the distractions then just playing.
Funny, because for awhile now I have been focused so much on little distractions that have been keeping out of the moment where God needs me. I think this has been going on for a long time now. I repeatedly encourage my team, “let’s not waste so much energy on the small things that we miss being in the present for the Lord.” In fact one team mate wasn’t even encouraged by this because she feels it is necessary that we handle the small things the Lord puts in our lives. She also feels I need to stop mentioning that all the time and I need to back that statement up. I don’t have to back that up, I don’t know what that looks for everyone I just want to encourage us not to dwell on things that are so minute. Yeah, maybe I have the tendency to repeat myself over and over on something because I feel like some just don’t get it. I can’t recall examples at the moment but I can recall in the last two months since Honduras in our feeback times sitting back listening to the same thing over and over again not that’s a problem for me, someone can repeat themselves over and over again and I will take all the time you need but I would encourage you not to waste so much energy on it every day. Who am I to say that, I am bad for that. Like I said, I am not sure what that looks like for the rest of my team, I am not sure what they are solely focusing their energy on and what they could be missing and maybe they are not. I feel sometimes in my team we spend so much time talking about little things like an hour on what our plans will be on our day off, what we need to buy at the grocery store, planning out the spending limit for one another for Christmas. Ok, let’s talk about it but not an hour, it shouldn’t be this difficult we can spend much of our time in community building each other up, or doing bible study instead of ten minutes on “ ok what is our budget on the person for a gift.” Really? I just laugh inside sometimes.
Maybe my team mate is talking more about spiritual stuff, how we need to deal with those small little things in our walk so we can be in the present. I agree with her but to what extent? I know the Bible says if we can’t be responsible with the small things how the Lord can trust us with the big things. The other day we went around town praying for a lot of broken areas in the city I missed out because I was so bothered about the conversation I had with my team mate that morning I missed out being present for God, my team , myself and the Philippines because I was hanging on to some choice words from that morning. What a waste, to spend a couple of hours on such small petty things that I missed out. Now I do agree with my team mate on some of the words she had to share with me that morning in fact that afternoon she shared something that was really valid “even Jesus to would say ‘ok you need to let this go and move on so you can experience my goodness.’” Funny, I feel like that is what I was kinda encouraging her and the team with.
Aside from that, I have recognized this for awhile, I need to get rid of the distractions, focus on my relationship with the Lord. Just to be that kid with the kids today playing basketball, they had such a good time, these kids wouldn’t stop laughing every time I would throw the ball from a distance, I don’t know why they found it funny but they did, at one point I shot the ball so far it hit a lady in the head they just rolled over laughing so hard. They didn’t care if I slammed dunk or if I made the shot or not and neither did I. I didn’t focus on performing for them; I just let the ball roll off my back and had fun. The Lord is showing me how to just let stuff roll off my back and not worry about peoples’ approval or dwell on the small stuff for so long. Maybe if I just do that I can finally make the shot or better yet the winning goal.
Pressing on Toward the Goal
12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
