Clarity

Clarity is the quality of being clear and easy to understand.

What leads to misunderstanding? Our facial expressions, body language, what we say, what we do or don’t do.  Even with the best intention, we can lack clarity or understanding when we communicate.  What is the result?  Frustration, guilt, irritation, agitation, or harsh words. 

We can’t always control situations or pre-plan the challenges we face, but we can prepare to attain clarity of mind. What is mental clarity?  Although it has different meanings to different people, in simple words, clarity of mind is cleaning our mind of clutter of uncontrolled thoughts. It’s the process of removing mental noise or unwanted thoughts to develop a clear, positive, and organized mind.

Five actions to obtain mental clarity:

1.       Clear the clutter.  Our minds process everything that crosses our field of vision. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

2.       Focus on what matters.  This is an important step to “clear to clutter”.

3.       Limit distractions.  The world is filled with voices and opinions. 

4.       Find quiet, peaceful moments.  Pray for clarity and insight.  (2 Timothy 2:7)

5.       Practice our faith.  Surrender to God, but do the work; God helps those who help themselves. (Philippians 4: 8-9)

1 Corinthians 14:33 (NIV): For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.

 

2 Timothy 2:7 (NIV):  Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Philippians 4:8-9 says, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

In officiating, what can clutter our minds?  Examples are travel issues, administrative obligations before the game, fans and crowd noise and boos, and fouls I or other crewmates call (or don’t call). In each of these situations, how do we obtain clarity?  With travel issues, prepare in advance to know how to adjust travel plans; for our pregame responsibilities, complete them as soon as possible to clear that from our minds; with fans and crowd noise, allow the noise to energize our focus; for fouls, move on to the next play with our pre-snap responsibilities. Refer to #5 above--just as we need to put our faith into practice, obtaining clarity in officiating takes practice and work.

When our judgment is clouded and we cannot see things clearly, our decision making is not sound. Clarity is attained when we are no longer confused by the options or choices—we know the path to take. When confusion sets in, God’s Word provides light for our path showing us which road to take. 

Psalm 119: 105--Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Clarity will come when we seek God because He is the One who knows what is confusing us. It’s okay to ask God to give us clarity in any situation. 

Clarity is the moment we see with our eyes closed. (Stephanie Banks)

Remain Calm

 Two questions to focus on this week:

1)      Can we keep calm and handle strife?  Strife is defined as bitter sometimes violent conflict or dissension.  As officials, hopefully, we don’t face physical strife.  However, we certainly face verbal strife.  To navigate conflict and to calm the situation, we need to possess two attributes:  patience and understanding.  We need patience to listen, and we need understanding to determine how to best diffuse the situation.

A touchy, hot-tempered man picks a fight, but the calm, patient man knows how to silence strife.  Proverbs 15: 18

2)      Can we calm our tongue under pressure?  When we face pressures of any kind, one of the first things we lose is control of our tongue; basically, we become careless with the words we speak. Under stress and pressure, we feel angry, impatient and on edge. On the field, are we able to control what we say when facing the pressure from coaches or that unusual play situation that must be discussed among crew members? To remain calm under pressure and to control what we say, we need to develop an understanding heart of others.

The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.  Proverbs 17:27

An understanding heart allows us to slow down, control our emotions, and have compassion for those people applying the pressure.

There’s no use arguing with a fool, for his ranting and raving prevent you from making a case and settling the argument in a calm way.  Proverbs 29:9

This verse explains that sometimes arguing is just not useful.  Mainly because the person who you are arguing with is not in the right mindset to receive your response calmly.

We will face conflicts in life. We will experience pressure and adversity on the field. Remember, seek patience and understanding and control our tongue.

“By staying calm, you increase your resistance against any kind of storms.”