When I was younger, I predicted the gender of all of my
siblings. It might’ve just been God
humoring a little girl, but it was still cool to get a sister and two brothers
after telling my mom that’s what was coming before each one. I also tried to predict someone else’s baby
and it didn’t work. Thus, its not a
perfected art or gift. Still, it was cool
that I could feel semi-confident in knowing some things before they happened.
In the same respect, I have now attended the three parties to watch
the State of Origin rugby games (with the New South Wales Blues and the
Queensland Maroons). There are always
three games, so whoever wins two out of three, wins. On the first game, I rooted for the
Blues. They were the under dogs that
hadn’t won against the Maroons in seven years …and so I dawned the blue face
paint to cheer them on. They won.
However, I wanted to make an informed opinion about who to root
for. Thus, for the second game, I
painted my face for the Maroons. They
won. For the third game, I was a bit
torn before the paint went on my face. I
had gone back and forth between the reasons I would cheer for each team. I wanted the Blues to win because they hadn’t
won the State of Origin in seven years.
I wanted the Maroons to win because they really worked well as a team
and had a creative element in their plays.
In the end, I painted my face for both, but cheered for the
Maroons. They won.
It kind of makes me think.
In order to really be a fan, you root for your team no matter what, win
or lose. No changing sides. This has merit and people are usually
faithful to their team. Faith and
faithfulness are needed more in this world.
On the other hand, its cool seeing how things will probably pan out and
therefore adjusting how we respond (even if that is changing where we’re
standing).
So here’s my points: It may
be beneficial to …
1. Be aware of what’s going on. Try to see patterns and motives so to act
proactively, if possible
2. Be willing to change strategies, presuppositions, etc. Flexibility is super important if you don’t
want to break (think, a reed that’s bendable versus rigid).
3. Roll with the punches. We can’t predict everything so work with what
you’ve got (like lemons into lemonade… or un-sweet tea into sweet tea… yum!)
4. Retain a fun spirit (don’t be so uptight and so let
opportunities slip by. Do something that
brings you joy as well as sharing that joy with others!
5. Realize God’s presence and ability to make ANYTHING happen (and
really, that’s the main thing here, but I saved the best for last). He’s the one to talk to about whatever, so
why not? He's the ultimate future anyway, right?!
