BUCKET LIST

What Should Be on Everyone’s Bucket List

By Jared West

***Adapted from the series “The Bucket List” by Dr. James Merritt.***

Do you have a “Bucket List”? Chances are, you have a list of things you’d like to do before you die as research suggests 69% of people have a “list of life’s things to do”.
 

Research does not indicate the percentage of referees that would want to officiate a College Football Championship game or Super Bowl, but I would imagine it would be 100%! But if you removed football officiating from your bucket list, what else would be on it? Traveling to an exotic location? Meeting a famous entertainer or sport personality?
 

So, with your bucket list on your mind, let me ask you a question…Does your bucket list contain things you would like to do before you die or does it contain things you need to do before you die? There is a big difference between the two.
 

Jesus offered a list of things everyone needs to do before he or she dies, and the setting for providing this list is a short span of time (about 6 hours) while he hung from a Roman cross bearing the weight of sin for all mankind. Jesus made 7 statements while He was crucified, and all 7 were thing he specifically did or caused to happen.
 

Indeed, it is the best bucket list of all time, and one that every human being should accomplish before death. Think of this as the ultimate bucket list of things that we need to do before we die.
 

And now, on to the list…
 

1. We must die with a clean slate by forgiving others who have wronged us. (Luke 23:34)

2. We must take care of our family before we die. (John 19:25-26)

3. We must accept Jesus’s sacrifice on our behalf. (Matthew 27:45)

4. We must learn to suffer well. (John 19:28)

5. We must accomplish the mission God has set for our life. (John 19:30)

6. We must ensure that we die in the hands of God. (Luke 23:46)

7. We must see ourselves as sinners and make the right choice to accept Jesus. (Luke 23:42)

The Bible tells us Jesus hung on the cross with criminals on either side of Him. Jesus hung on the center cross and died for sin. The man to the right of Jesus was a criminal who deserved death, and yet He accepted Jesus as savior right before he died. This man died to sin. On the left of Jesus hung another criminal who refused to recognize Jesus as Lord. Sadly, this man died in sin.
 

Three men. Three crosses. Three deaths. However, we, as humans, are left with only 2 choices in response to these crucifixions. We can either die in sin or we can die to sin. You have a choice to make. The criminal who died to sin made the right choice, and this single choice wiped out once and for all the countless bad choices he had ever made.

WORLD CLASS FINISH

Now that we are nearing the end of another regular season of football, what does it really mean to finish strong?  As we review the season behind us, we all have certainly experienced peaks and valleys.  Let’s look at what finishing strong really means.

In his book Running and Being, George Sheehan writes, “I am at my best nearing the finish of a race. Until then I am just another mediocre distance runner. Just one of the many run-of-the-mill competitors well back in the pack. But with the finish line in sight, all that changes. Now I am the equal of anyone. Gray-haired, balding and wrinkled, but world class. Gasping, wheezing and groaning, but unbeatable.”

As officials, we can often find ourselves in a “pack” just getting through the season.  As we draw to the end, and the finish line is in site, let’s be motivated to be world class.  To finish world class, focus on what Jesus can do for us…..

1. Christ focus=strength to endure present hardships.
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

2. Christ focus=remembering his mercy and help in times past.

 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7).

3. Christ focus=great hope for the future

“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8).

No matter our current circumstances or our past success/failures, to finish world class, we must keep our Christ focused attention to the finish line.

ADVERSITY

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.'" Isaiah 43:1-2

Adversity can be simply defined as “DIFFICULTIES”.  No question adversity and setbacks will come in life. How we handle them makes all the difference between success and failure. When obstacles or unexpected circumstances happen, we must be equipped with perseverance to solve each problem. Being determined to find a way over, under, around or through the obstacle requires perseverance!

“We don’t find meaning in our lives from the lack of challenges or even misery. We find meaning in our lives by how we face these challenges.” -- Dr. Laura Schlessinger

How do we deal with adversity?  First, we must look at who is involved (or not) in helping us overcome our problems.  We certainly need family, friends, crewmates, Doctors, etc.  But, think about this…people trying to exist without Jesus Christ in their lives are missing the most practical and valuable asset available. God’s help and backing can produce physical, mental, financial and spiritual results.

If God is involved in our lives, situations, opportunities and even trials will have deeper and more purposeful meaning. God places our spiritual growth ahead of our physical comfort and success. Overcoming adversity can produce the character God wants.

How have you done handling and overcoming adversity this season?  The situation could have been a missed call, a no call, crew dynamics, health problems, and various other personal issues that impact our officiating.  Think back over the season and list your adversity and note how it has or is being handled.

Anticipate

Definition of ANTICIPATE:  to expect; look forward to; be sure of

What are things we anticipate? Eating, Sleeping, getting married, birth of children, results from doctors, holidays.

What do we anticipate as officials?  Impact of weather, coaches and players attitudes, pass or run plays, potential plays to review, fouls.

Two primary parts of anticipation:

(1)   Expectations:  what we think will happen.

(2)  Suspense:  the unknown, things we don’t know.

Which one of these parts can cause the most anxiety?  SUSPENSE-the unknown.  We’re a society of control and we like to know what will happen next.  In officiating, anticipating what will happen next is important to our performance.  WHY?  (a) puts is in a better position, (b) gets us mentally ready, (3) helps in communication.

 

Key to anticipation is LOOKING FORWARD.  Think about it—if you are looking back, how can you anticipate what’s next?  The key is to have Expectations—expect what will happen next.

In Philippians 3, Paul tells us he is looking forward towards the prize.  He wasn’t looking back.  If he did, it would be hard for him because of who he was before Jesus changed his life—he was previously known as the chief of sinners.  Here is another verse in Proverbs that really defines ANTICIPATION:

Proverbs 4: 25-26:  ²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. ²⁶ Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.

STRETCHED

Ever thought about the purpose of a rubber band?  Actually, a rubber band is not useful until it’s stretched.  If you put a rubber band around a set of papers and the band is too big, you pretty much are just as good without it.  But, when the rubber band is stretched to fit around the papers to hold them together, it becomes one of the greatest invention ever!  But, if we stretch a rubber band too much or too far, it breaks.

When you think about it, our life as officials should be much like a rubber band.  Unless we are stretched as officials, we will never reach our full potential or learn and grow to be better officials.  Much like our faith—unless it is stretched, put to the test, it is useless.  We all need to examine whether we are being stretched to become stronger in our officiating and in our faith.  Are we serving with our talents and abilities—stretching our rubber band?  At the same time, we also need to examine if we are being stretched too much—we don’t want to hit our breaking point.

What happens when we step out and stretch--God shows up and does what we can’t do. We need to keep putting ourselves in situations where we say to ourselves, “God, if You don’t show up, I am bound to fail. I can’t do this in my own strength.”

Improvement comes at the edge of our comfort zone.  To become a better official, to improve our crew, and to grow in our faith, we have to be stretched!

Consider these things that God may want you to do when you are stretched (from Pastor Chris Russell)

• God may want you to DO something.
• God may want you to STOP DOING something.
• God may want you to GIVE something.
• God may want you to SAY something.
• God may want you to STOP SAYING something.
• God may want you to START something.
• God may want you to END something.
• God may want you to LOVE someone.

Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. Isaiah 54: 2

Test with Stress for Success

Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart” (Proverbs 17:3 NLT).

Most often, we don’t consider stress as a positive.  Stress can impact us physically, mentally, and emotionally.  But, stress is also a great indicator of how well we can perform.  If we can’t handle the pressure or stress that we are facing, we cannot move forward.

In the Bible, Daniel was a great example of being put under stress to see if he would be successful.  God allowed Daniel to be captured and held as a prisoner of war and was quickly identified as healthy, knowledgeable, and perceptive.  The King who captured Daniel tried to “brain wash” Daniel into becoming one who denied God and followed his rule.  As you read through the story of Daniel, he withstood the pressure and stress and did not submit to the rule of the King and continued to be a great and faithful follower of God.

If God’s going to use us, he’s going to test us first. What is the purpose of the test?  To be sure we’re ready to handle the power, blessing, influence, or whatever else he wants to give us.  Here is an important point to remember—even in the fire, God is with us helping us to succeed. While being tested, it’s sometimes hard to understand if God is even with us.  But, he is and we must rely on his Spirit to lead us.

Proverbs 17: 3 points out that fire tests the purity or how good silver and gold is.  For us, our fires are our stresses—how pure or strong is our heart, soul, and mind to handle those stresses?

God wants to know if he can trust us with success. So, expect to be tested with stress.  Then, expect success on the other side of the test!

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Credit given to Rick Warren-Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope

Work To Please

If we work to please, who do we please?  In officiating, we can look to please a lot of people:  Supervisors, Observers, crewmates, coaches, fans, commentators.  But, who is the most important?  Most would say Supervisors because they hold the key to the games we are assigned.  Pleasing our crewmates is important for crew unity and performance on the field.  We may not work to please coaches, but our communication with coaches is important to have a “pleasing” game.  Truth is, not everyone is going to be pleased.  So, in officiating, how do we work to please?

The apostle Paul teaches we are “working for the Lord and not for people.” No job is too small nor is it too big; no job is too menial; no job is too insignificant nor is one more important than another when you have the right motive and perspective. Our thought should be “I’m doing it for God; I’m doing this job as if I’m doing it for the Lord.”

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people” (Colossians 3:23).

How do I know if my work is for the Lord? Two characteristics will show up:

Excellence and Enthusiasm.

First, if I’m doing my work, not for the boss but for the Lord, I do it with EXCELLENCE—being the best I can be. That means I give it my best shot. I do the best I can because I’m not doing it for anyone’s approval, except God’s.

Second, I do my work with ENTHUSIASM. I’m working for God; therefore, I do it with a cheerful attitude. “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically” (Romans 12:11 NLT).

Think about this…..When you are working with all your heart, motivated by Christ, your work is transformed into an act of worship for God.

Credit given to Rick Warren-Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope (5/21/14)

CONCENTRATION

Concentration--exclusive attention to one object; close mental application.

Life is full of distractions. What are some of those distractions for you? (news, friends, social media, politics, social events). So many things and activities can pull us back and forth in our lives coming from various directions.  Officiating is no different.  We can get distracted with evaluations (good and bad), plays we didn’t get right, fans, media, coaches, and even players.

We have to decide how to live and respond to each day. Our focus can’t be on past failures and past successes. Focusing on the past can keep us from moving forward.  Our concentration has to be this one thing: learn from the past, release it and embrace the future. God will empower you to do this one thing just as Paul stated that he did in Philippians 3.  Focus and persistence are necessary to release the past and to march into the future.

Paul focused his energy on one thing. He disciplined his life to release the past and to embrace the future God had for him……..

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV)

The military definition of CONCENTRATION is the assembling of military or naval forces in a particular area in preparation for further operations. Taking from the military meaning of concentration, when we go into our game this week, keep our concentration on the field—in our area.  Don’t let distractions of our life or our surroundings keep us from performing our responsibilities at the highest level. 

Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.
--Alexander Graham Bell

STRONG

How strong of an official are you?  We often hear officials referred to as a “strong official”.  Does that mean great physical shape, mental toughness, emotional stability?  I would say—all of the above.

A prospective missionary was scheduled for an interview with the Mission Board about a potential assignment.  He arrived for his scheduled appointment at 6am.  He sat in a room until 10am waiting on the interview.  Once the interview started, the prospective candidate was asked odd questions along with other very pointed and direct questions.  When the interview was over, the following was reported back to the Mission Board concerning the candidate…

“I tried his patience for hours and hours and he did not break down; Then I insulted him and he did not lose his temper. This candidate answered with patience, fortitude, and gentleness. His faith was vindicated by the very quality of his character. He will make a good missionary."

See, the Mission Board knew it took more than just a desire to be a missionary.  It takes physical, mental, and emotional toughness.  As officials, we are tested physically, mentally, and emotionally.  We must prepare ourselves to be STRONG in each of these areas.

 

Each game we are tested just as the potential Missionary candidate was.  What report is given on us?  Just as the Mission Board reported back that the candidate would make a good missionary, are we referred to as a “Strong Official” with physical, mental, and emotional toughness?

Luke 8:15--But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Self-Assessment

Our Supervisor of Officials gave us “Crew Self-Assessment Objectives”.  Before I list those, think about what “experience” means.

What do we gain from our experiences each game?  Do we learn from our experiences?  Experience is not the best teacher; evaluated experience is the best teacher. Reflective thinking is needed to turn experience into insight. We draw lessons from the past only when we study it. Experience can be an excellent teacher if we take the time to evaluate. Mindless activities create shallow thinking, while evaluated action broadens our perspective.  Think of each game as a laboratory. We observe, evaluate, learn and apply lessons.

Here are the 5 Crew Self-Assessment Objectives:

1.       Did we effectively and fairly manage the game?

2.       Did we consistently apply the rules and philosophies to each play?

3.       Did we demonstrate sound and fundamental mechanics?

4.       Did we work together as a team?

5.       Was our individual performance up to the standard that is expected?

Great list of questions to EVALUATE your performance after each game.  Remember the next steps—learn and apply!

I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw. Proverbs 24:32.