Thanks for All

Thanks for All

From “Today” devotions (Nov. 24, 2005)

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

 1 Thessalonians 5:18                           

The  belief in the divine guidance of God makes it possible for us to be "thankful when things go well" and "patient when things go against us".  So, that makes us sometimes thankful and sometimes patient.

Paul said it is God's will for us to be thankful "in all circumstances."  Note Paul did not say we should be thankful for all circumstances but in all.  When things seem to go against us, God expects us to be grateful that He will help us endure under the strain.

Do you find it equally difficult to be thankful when things are going well?  When things go well, we have so much to be grateful for. But, the very nature of human beings, even if a Christian, is to overlook the good gifts God gives us every day.

Today, exercise the gift of noticing. Notice what you see, what you have, and who is with you. Notice the color, beauty, and variety around you. Keep noticing, and make a list of the gifts you notice.  

As an official, be thankful for the opportunity God gives you to be a part of a game that you love.  In officiating, we are thankful in the good times and hope that we can be patient in the tough times.  Be thankful for the family support we receive and the support from fellow officials.  Finally, be thankful that you can touch the lives of others through officiating and also look for ways to be the “Thanks” someone needs.

Mental Toughness

7 Habits Of People With Remarkable Mental Toughness

JEFF HADEN, INC.

JUL. 23, 2014, 3:46 PM (Business Insider)

"The ability to work hard and respond resiliently to failure and adversity; the inner quality that enables individuals to work hard and stick to their long-term passions and goals."

the word:  Grit.

The definition of grit almost perfectly describes qualities every successful person possesses, because mental toughness builds the foundations for long-term success. Successful people are great at delaying gratification, withstanding temptation, overcoming fear (doesn't mean they aren't scared — that does mean they're brave.)

Ways to become mentally stronger and more successful:

1. Always act as if you are in total control.
"Pray as if God will take care of all; act as if all is up to you."

Many people feel luck has a lot to do with success or failure. Most successful people do sense good luck played some role in their success. But, they don't wait for good luck or worry about bad luck. If they succeed, they caused it. If they fail, they caused it. By not wasting mental energy worrying about what might happen to you, put all your effort into making things happen.  You can't control luck, but it can definitely control you.

2. Put aside things you have no ability to affect.

Mental strength is like muscle strength — no one has an unlimited supply. Don’t waste your power on things you can't control.

3. See the past as valuable training … and nothing more.

The past is valuable. Learn from your mistakes and mistakes of others.  When something bad happens to you, see it as an opportunity to learn something you didn't know. When another person makes a mistake, don't just learn from it — see it as an opportunity to be kind, forgiving, and understanding. The past is just training; it doesn't define you. Think about what went wrong but only in terms of how you will make sure that next time you and the people around you know how to make sure it goes right.

4. Celebrate the success of others.

When someone else shines, does that diminishes the light from our stars? Resentment sucks up a massive amount of mental energy — energy better applied elsewhere. Don't resent success of others.  Create and celebrate it wherever you find it, and in time you'll find even more of it in yourself.

5. Never allow yourself to whine. (Or complain. Or criticize.)

Your words have power, especially over you. Whining about your problems always makes you feel worse, not better. Put that mental energy into making the situation better. Don't talk about what's wrong. Talk about how you'll make things better, even if that conversation is only with yourself.

6. Focus only on impressing yourself.

A relationship not based on substance is not a real relationship.  Genuine relationships make you happier, and you'll form genuine relationships only when you stop trying to impress and start trying to just be yourself and you will have more mental energy to spend on the people who really do matter in your life.

7. Count your blessings.

Take a second every night before you turn out the light and, in that moment, quit worrying about what you don't have. Quit worrying about what others have that you don't. Think about what you do have. You have a lot to be thankful for.  Feeling better about yourself is the best way of all to recharge your mental batteries.

1 Corinthians 16:13:  Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

 

Opportunity

credit given to....www.worthydevotions.com

Deut. 20:4:  For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.

When we are in deep in a situation and are not sure what the outcome is going to be, do you look at it as an opportunity?

An organization in Montana offered a bounty of five thousand dollars for every wolf captured ALIVE. Two hunters decided to make some money capturing wolves. Day and night, they searched the mountains and forests.  They spent three unsuccessful days hunting.  After falling asleep on the third night, one of the hunters suddenly woke up and looked out their tent to find the two were surrounded by a pack of fifty wolves, their eyes flaming and teeth showing.  Immediately, one hunter yelled to the other, "Hey, wake up! We're gonna be rich!"

In the mist of a difficult situation, we can feel overwhelmed. Sometimes we feel like we are surrounded and about to be attacked by a pack of wolves.  But, can difficulties actually be opportunities?  Certainly, God can show His presence by taking the situation and turn it for His Glory.  It creates opportunities for us to become stronger and testify of His goodness.  One difficult thing to understand is the end result may not be what we expected or what we wanted.  But, when you are relying on God’s power, He will show you what needed to be learned from the “opportunity”.

As officials, we can often feel like we are surrounded by wolves--coaches, fans, media, Supervisors, and even fellow officials.  However, when in the middle of situation, do we say “We’re gonna be rich”—meaning we will be better on the other side than where we started.

We have the opportunity to learn, grow, and experience the grace and power of God through trials, or “opportunities”. 

Now, let’s go get rich and capture wolves!

The Emotional Roller Coaster

What feelings do you get when you ride a roller coaster?  For some people, it’s a high!  For other people, it’s terrifying.  Life is the same way--like the old saying “life is a roller coaster.”  At times, we can be sent rocketing toward adrenaline-boosted highs. But, then, it can also throw us into a downward spiral with emotional lows.

Life as an official is no doubt the same:  adrenaline-boosting highs and downward spiraling lows.  The question is this:  when you get off the roller coaster—how do you feel?  Some people get off a roller coaster and are ready to jump back in line.  Others get off the same ride to find the nearest trash can!  As officials, we want to find the middle.  Our emotions don’t need to be bound to these ups and downs.  If we appear too confident when things go well and we are on a high, we may lose focus on what got us to the high.  On the other hand, when we are at a point things seem to be spiraling downward, we can’t keep looking down.

The goal is to model consistency in our emotions.  When were in the game (riding the roller coaster), our emotions need to be steady.  The key is to have steady emotions both outwardly and inwardly.  Then, at the end of game (when we exit the roller coaster), we don’t want to get caught in a trap of being emotionally high or heading for the nearest trash can.

2 Timothy 1: 7:  For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

God did not give us a spirit of cowardice or of fear.  He gives us a spirit of power, love, calmness, well balanced mind, discipline and self-control.  In reality, we may not always act in this way.  But, we must remember that’s how we were made and have the ability to control our emotions.

“One thing you can't hide - is when you're crippled inside.” ― John Lennon

Sometimes you succeed.... and other times you learn.