Practice or Real Life?

When I was involved in theater, we would always get the cast together to do a read through of the script. This gave us a chance to get to know each other, hear the director's thoughts, and start to discover more about our characters. It was a safe practice that wasn't open to the public because we weren't ready for that step yet. We needed time to rehearse and become more comfortable with our show before it was time to step under the lights. The read through wasn't the real performance and didn't reflect what things were going to be once we had more time to refine

Life might be easier if we were able to do a read through before the big performance, but it's not how things happen. Every piece of our life is real and part of the larger show of who we are and who we're becoming. Each conversation we have carries weight and our actions have a more powerful impact than we might realize in the moment. I don't think this means we should live fearfully, but that we should see how each interaction and event in our life is part of the big show. We can't casually dismiss pieces of it as they all contribute to the sum of our lives.

Settling for Good

Frequent readers of my blog know I am an avid New York Mets fan. I've followed them for years and continue to do so even when they aren't playing great baseball. Earlier this year they had an 11 game winning streak which brought them front page publicity for their accomplishment. I blogged about their streak while also recognizing it may not last forever. Since that run of victories ended my beloved Mets have the second worst record in baseball. There are many excuses to be made (injuries, misfortune, youth) but it doesn't change their overall record.

I thought about the team this morning and the attitude they might be dealing with right now. I'm sure they are working hard to get better and win games, but the truth is that hard work might not make the difference they hoped. At some point we might realize that this just isn't a very good team. No amount of extra work and hustle will transform them into the best in the league if the talent they have isn't good enough to begin with. I'm not discounting the opportunity to make the most of your abilities, but there is a ceiling for all of us=-which will prevent some levels of excellence from being reached.

That's a hard lesson to learn for anyone--sometimes your best isn't enough to deliver what you hoped for. It's why the team concept is so important. We've got to surround ourselves with people whose strengths compensate for our weaknesses.

Better Get Ready

The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle.

I came across this quote today while doing research for an upcoming message at the end of our "Warrior" series here at Northridge. While it is certainly applicable for people engaging in physical combat, I believe there are many levels to its meaning. It describes the level of preparation necessary for us to succeed in all areas of life. This quote also gives credence to the difficulty of the paths that lie in front of us. If we do not push ourselves to the limits (and beyond) of our capabilities, we will not be able to endure when the real moment of trial comes upon us. 

From experience, I can attest to the fact that this positive return is very rarely found without some personal investment. Most people who are recognized as "overnight success stories" have actually been working for years to be prepared for this moment of opportunity. If we want to be people who engage in life and find victory, we've got to work hard in the stages leading up to battle or we won't be tested enough to endure. 

Big Shot

I love the playoffs in any sport. It has drama, upsets, tension, and big moments. No matter the sport, we see the superstars rise to the top, but we also inevitably see an relatively unknown athlete have a minute in the spotlight. Sometimes this occasion wins a game or changes momentum, but it is very rarely expected.

In last night's NBA playoff game between the Houston Rockets and Portland Trailblazers, a player named Troy Daniels hit a huge shot. This was a make-or-break moment for Houston as they would have most likely been out of the playoffs very soon if they lost this game. In a big moment, Troy hit a three pointer to give his team the lead. I think it is safe to say that he was the most unlikely hero last night. He had only played in five (5!) total games so far this season and yet was able to come through in the clutch.

While Troy might not been expected to hit a game winning shot it was also not the first three pointer of his life. He once made 11 3-pointers in a game in college and took 599 3-point shots while playing the Developmental League. This was his first opportunity on the big stage, but he had been preparing for it his entire career.

We might have the "opportunity of a lifetime" fall into our lap, but we have a better chance of finding that opportunity if we're preparing for it all along. Sitting on the sidelines without developing our skills won't get us into the game. We've got to be willing to devote the hours to practice if we expect to find success when the opportunity arrives.

Getting Ready

I have spent many long hours in the hot sun practicing for just one football game. All our efforts in that week were geared to a three hour period on Friday night. The proportion of practice time to game time might seem disproportionate, but the preparation is essential. The reality is that we can't succeed on the Friday night playing field without diligent effort on the practice field during the week. 

Spiritually, the same principle applies. We will spend far more time in training than we will in actual competition. We will have opportunities to engage the enemy, fight for the souls of our children, and pray fervently during threats to our families & friends. We won't be successful if we haven't spent the necessary time preparing for the actual event. If we neglect the practice phase of preparation we're not as good as we think we are and will be quickly defeated once the real competition begins.