Tethered

If you’ve ever gone to the circus, you know the size of the mighty elephant.  But did you know that when they are behind the scenes, they are kept in place by tying a tiny rope from their leg to a small stake in the ground?  How does this work?  Simple.  When they were baby elephants, that same small rope used to hold them securely.  Sure, they could easily break it now... but because it used to be strong enough, they’ve become conditioned to believe it always will be. 

Many of us are the same way.  A mistake early in our life ties us to the post of failure.  We think... why bother trying to break free?  We’re just like that elephant that stops trying to tug on what used to hold them in place.  Fact is, you aren’t bound by your past to a lifetime of defeat... If you know Christ as Savior, you have His strength to break free.  In Philippians 3, Paul tells us that he has forgotten the past and is focused on the future.  Do the same!  Pull against that tiny rope of your past mistakes and watch it release you.  It’s time to be the person God tells you that you are!

Making the Right Call

At the start of the 2012 football season, the league was forced to put replacement referees on the field as a result of a contract dispute with the real crew.  The fill-ins worked throughout the first part of the season… and made many mistakes.  Maybe no bigger than the ending of the Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks game.  In it, the Seattle quarterback threw a desperation pass toward the end zone in the closing seconds of the game.  A Green Bay defensive player intercepted the ball, but the stand-in ref called it a touchdown for Seattle…costing the Packers the game.   When interviewed afterward, the confused referee said that he would not have changed the call even though every replay showed he was clearly in error.

Many of us are just like that referee.  

Sometimes we don’t want to admit when we’ve made a mistake.  Even when it’s obvious.  The crowd points and we turn a blind eye.  The replay shows it… and we turn off the tv.  We blow it… drop it… miscall it… and mess it up.  But why is it so hard to admit our mistakes and make them right?  It’s simple.  Pride.  James 4:6 tells us that “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”   Find yourself in a situation where you’ve missed the mark?  Made a mistake?  Humble yourself.  First admit to God how you’ve blown it… then make it right with those you’ve hurt.  God will bless your obedience and you will begin to heal immediately.  Admitting there’s an issue is one thing… making it right, while not always easy, is the always the correct call.