On The Winning Team

God uses others to pull us up and build us.
God does this so we may participate in His glory,
coming to learn what it was like to be Him when He was made like us.

I recall a minister I dearly love, Anton I., telling me “Ed, you are a starter”.

It was one of the most encouraging set of words I heard when a part of his flock.

He explained how I was someone who could stir others to act.

Anton was a college football player and this term 'starter' was reminiscent of a first-string player who takes the field before all others and is usually playing the entire game.

I was never much of a physical athlete, although I tried my best the few times I did participate in organized games as a child.

In the way Anton was telling me what he saw in me, he was speaking beyond the physical.

Although people 'see' what is physical, physical words are used to speak of spiritual realities.

He was speaking to what his spiritual eyes saw regarding He who lives in me.

Anton's spirit was seeing my spirit and the manner it was created and for what purpose(s).

At the time, in my early 20's, I wasn't ready for such a responsibility.

I was, however, obedient to even the slightest suggestion from church leadership.

It was later when my humanity overcame with my obedience that I realized my immaturity was still a hindrance.

I realized the responsibility of being a starter and the importance of never leaving the field, no matter how tough the game was being played.

Learning bad traits, and making excuses, it is a path of least resistance to be mediocre, to fall back into low patterns.

Do we ever fully grow up in every manner?

Perhaps in certain ways more than other ways.

Certain characteristics can be refined while other traits continue to be our thorns.

Sometimes the thorns are obvious, some we are oblivious to.

Their purpose is to keep us humble.

Now nearly 20 years after hearing that older brother in the faith speak these words to me, I can look back at how those words were somewhat prophetic, and the manner the journey was challenging and what causes me temptation.

For some of us, the past becomes clearer as tomorrow approaches.

How we deal and handle the past can make a difference regarding our learning and maturing, or being swallowed up by the memory of our faulty past.

This is the life while still in the flesh.

The challenges to one's faith is in coming to understand and believe 'who' you are.

In trying not to think too highly of one's self, sometimes it is challenging to conceptualize what it is we are doing on this earth.

The purpose... and the many other purposes yet in store for us to live out.

Recently I was emotionally challenged with past regrets and the memories of a sinful lifestyle.

These memories at times still plague me.

Navigating this world while not becoming like it is a major challenge.

I think about the past too much.

Yet it has been considering the past that I have learned many lessons, and been able to understand the process that God has me in.

I desire to make not only the right choices, I desire to make the choices God has ordained for me to make.

Most of the choices are obvious according to what is written for us.

The small part is making choices from faith.

It would be much easier to have a plan that decides all of my daily choices, but although this may resemble obedient submission, where is the faith?

Where would the learning and growing process be?

Static relationships do not last, and a predictable day holds nothing to be revealed, nothing to overcome, nothing then to be expected.

Even the Messiah was pruned, perhaps as the perfect model that we can confidently emulate in embracing our personal pruning process.

This is the natural process of life on this earth; what was started by God so long ago.

To harvest is to bring one life process to an end in order to feed another life process.

When the grain is ready to be harvested, although it is still 'living', it is pulled out of the ground and the plant ceases to 'live', although some bit of 'life' still exists in the plant... and this feeds the human and animal alike.

So we see that something must 'die' in order for something else to 'live', and keep living.

We see this most obvious with Yeshua our Lord and Messiah.

Actually, everything hinges on Messiah... since He is not only the focal point, but the culmination of so much more than is readily understandable.

It was His will to have His visible self die on the earth in order for true life to flourish, and to raise those previously dead to life eternal.

In order for Ed to be a starter, and to continue being a starter for others, Ed has also to continually die to certain things.

And being eternally grateful and thankful for God's grace, our process of dying in order to fully live while on the earth is a process that is supposed to produce maturity in us.

It is a process that can seem overwhelming sometimes, or can be weighted down with guilt and regret.

I think with a proper understanding of God's love and grace, and how He has absorbed us into life despite our deadly nature, is very important and a teaching that should be more often highlighted, explored, and clearly proclaimed.

The slightest word, the smallest kind effort, can make the smallest adjustment in someone's heart and mind that can propel them into lighter pastures despite the madness of the world.

And when our memory brings to us what another person may consider seemingly insignificant, our spirit responds to the actual weight of such kind words.

Our spirit clarifies a few words from Love as much more powerful than many negative or doubt-filled words and thoughts this world may throw at us.

Recall those moments in time that have spoken life into you, for they most likely came directly from God while spoken through someone made in His image.