Right Field

Do you remember that movie, "A league of Their Own"? Its about a group of women who play baseball during WWII. While all of the men were off fighting the war, the ladies stepped up to the plate (pun intended). Ok, so there is a scene where the main character wants to quit the league. Her coach tries to reason with her, but her response is, "It just got too hard." To which the coach responded, "It's supposed to be hard, if it wasn't hard everyone would do it."

Those are some serious words of wisdom. Doing what is right can be just as hard. And if it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. I'm telling you, sometimes its just plain hard to do what is right. One thought I had is this. The opposite of right isn't wrong, its easy. Taking the easy route usually ends up being the wrong route. Matthew 7:13 and 14 say, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
Taking the wide and easy road often leads to a place you don't want to be.

True leadership is about being able to make the tough calls. Its about doing right, especially when its hard. Any one can be a leader when the decisions are easy or if there are minor consequences on the line. But when its time to make the tough calls, that's when leadership is tested. That's when its proven.

And as a result of taking the hard road you experience life. The full passionate unbelievable life that I want and that I want our church to live.

So no matter how hard it is. No matter what the consequences. Do right. Lester Sumrall once said, "It's always right to do right, and it's always wrong to do wrong."

That's my two cents.

Why

I am not ashamed to admit, that I was probably a pretty annoying kid. I was the kind of youngster that couldn't accept something for what it was. I can hear, echoing in my memory, the infamous words of my parents, "Because I said so." I had prompted that comment on numerous occasions...daily, because of my repeated questioning of why.

Why?

This is a short little sentence which I am very familiar with. Why do I have to go to bed? Why do I have to do my homework? Why do I have to go to school? Why do I have to do what I am told. (Ok so I know you're praying for my parents about now.)

I like to know why things are. Once we had an old Electrolux vacuum that my Dad sold door to door. After a couple of years it quit working...and I wanted to know why. Long story short, my parents were the proud owners of a box of Electrolux parts. (and I still don't know why it quit working)

Why didn't leave me as I got older. In fact, I probably ask why even more as an adult. But things are a little different now.

I don't know if its a natural part of who I am. I don't know if it is something I picked up from one of my influences. I believe it is something God put inside of me. Wherever it came from, it has become a very valuable piece of my life.

I don't ask why to be a rebellious little kid (anymore). Instead, I ask to make things better. I want to know why things work the way they do so that I may better operate those things. I want to know why people are they way they are so that I may have better relationships with them. I want to know why God does things the way He does so that I may better understand Him.

I thrive on knowing why.

I see people everyday who are contaminated with a posture that says, life just is how it is. To this I say why?

Why does life just have to be?

Why cant you have the life you've always wanted? Why cant you be what you want to be? Or do what you want to do? Why?

I know there are many answers, or can I say excuses, to those questions. But success in life is not about the answers you have but the questions you ask.

We have to be willing to ask ourselves why. Why am I here? Why am I, where I am? Why am I still here? Why don't I pick myself up, dust myself off and go where I really want to go?

Why?

I have heard it said, He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.

So now I ask one last question. Knowing the immensity of God, and that all things are possible with Him.

Why do we doubt?

That's my 2 cents.