Power of Thanks

How do you put Thanks into action?  One coach shared that after every practice and game, one of his players told him one small sentence—“Thank you coach.”  For two years, this player never missed an opportunity to say those three words.  You see, the player had an attitude of gratitude and thankfulness as well as putting it into action.

If we have an attitude of Thankfulness, does it show?  Hopefully, it shows in all that we do—in our Faith, marriage, family, friends, co-workers, church, and our officiating.  But, what about the tough times?  The Bible says we can “rejoice” in our tough times because of what will be produced….

Romans 5:3 states, “we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know afflictions produce endurance.”

Put Thankfulness into action. If there is one short-coming of Thankfulness is we think about it but don’t put it into action.  Whether it’s by words, deeds, or actions, let’s show Thankfulness more than just thinking about it.

In Luke 17, the story is told of 10 lepers being healed by Jesus.   Leprosy was a deadly and awful disease in Biblical times and people who had leprosy were outcasts.  But, Jesus, went to them and healed 10 in this instance.  But, out of the ten, only one ran to Jesus to thank Him…..,

"But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God. He fell facedown at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan." - Luke 17:15-16

Today, answer these three questions….

1)  Am I thankful and would people around me say I have a heart of thankfulness?

2)  Name three officials you are thankful for and why?

3)    What prevents you from expressing thankfulness—putting it into action?

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.”

- Proverbs 3:27

No Doubt

A simple definition of DOUBT is “to feel uncertain about”.  Our human nature constantly battles with doubt.  As officials, where does doubt come from?

--Our own minds

--Other officials

--Coaches

--Administrators

--Supervisors

--Fans

Because it’s in our human nature to create or feel doubt, how we respond to doubt makes the difference.  So, what ways do we respond to doubt?

--Do nothing and say we’ve done all that can be done

--Create more doubt in our minds

--Listen to what others say or recommend

--Change our course/direction

--Obey what we are told or asked to do

A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory.

Doubt often leads to frustration.  Peter experienced this first hand after fishing all night.

"Master," Simon replied, "we've worked hard all night long and caught nothing! But at Your word, I'll let down the nets." - Luke 5:5  

Peter was an expert fisherman.  It was his lively-hood.  After fishing all night, he had caught nothing.  Jesus came to Peter and tells him to cast his nets on the other side of the boat.  Although Peter DOUBTED, he obeyed, reluctantly, and caught so many fish that the nets were breaking and the boat was sinking.

In life, we have to battle doubts and frustrations.  The key is how we respond.  Sometimes we just need to listen, sometimes change what we are doing, and sometimes just obey and trust the process we are going thru.

Kill the snake of doubt in your soul, crush the worms of fear in your heart and mountains will move out of your way.

Minor is Major

As an official, our body is our livelihood. It’s vital to care for it like precious and valuable cargo. Our health is critical to perform at a high level.

Medical research shows a small injury to one part of the body can cause bigger injuries in other parts of the body. Therefore, it’s important to take care of small injuries.  This helps you both physically and mentally.  Nagging injuries can often be as mentally frustrating as they are physically limiting us.  In officiating, taking care of ourselves physically and mentally is very important.  Now that we are nearing the end of the season, we tend to get worn down physically from travel and the demands of the game.  Mentally we are tested each week during the game as well as from the review and grading of our games.

So, what do we do?  Discipline ourselves to take care of our whole body. We often think of the physical part of our body by strength and conditioning, eating, and medicines that keep us going.  But, what about mentally? Do we take time each week mentally to get refreshed and stay in good mental condition? Mentally preparing for a game is just as important as physical preparation. How do we prepare mentally?  Here are a few things to consider….(1) Take care of our homes and families before leaving for a game, (2) finish as much work as possible and remove ourselves from our “ day job” as much as we can, (3) review grading and comments and determine the application of the grades and comments and move on to the next game.

"He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love." - Ephesians 4:16

Before our next game, prepare by reading scripture.  Pray and ask God to use us for His honor and glory.  As Ephesians 4: 16 states, let’s do a special work to grow, to be healthy and to be a positive influence on those around us.

Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.