The Ultimate Goal - NBA Finals edition

Who will win it all? Will the Miami superstars win it all with their "dream team" like they promised at the beginning of the season? Or will Dirk, who even plays though illness, finally get the ring that he's worked so hard for? Can LeBron James close out a game in the 4th quarter and prove he is one of the NBA greats? These are a few of the questions that have been swirling around the sports media this past week. As many of you know, the NBA Finals are taking place right now between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. These players have put a lot of effort into making it to this point in their careers, and they are all focused. Here's a quote from Dirk Nowitzki, "So we're one win away from my dream, what I've worked for half of my life. This is all I'm really worried about. This is all I'm focusing on." Sounds like he's pretty locked in on reaching his goal. 

What if we all were that focused on reaching our goal in life? And no, I'm not talking about our goal to be a professional athlete, or to make a lot of money. I'm talking about our goal to reach Heaven and carry out Jesus' instructions. In Colossians 3:23, it is pretty clear how we should do things, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." God wants us to work hard at what we do, especially when it comes to His work. Just imagine if we devoted our whole lives to strengthening our relationship with God and to spreading His word like NBA players work for a championship ring. Just like all things in life, it's not easy to put all your effort into one thing. There are always going to be distractions and obstacles that want to make you give up. But fortunately, for this goal, we're not on our own. We have the greatest coach around to help guide us through life and give us instructions on how to meet the goal. With His help, I know we can all dedicate our lives to reaching the Ultimate Goal. 

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:14

Trust More, Stress Less

Stress, we all have it. It's that little word we use to describe our lives about 24/7. With the world today, it seems like we are always going. There's always something to do. Something to watch, something to play, something to eat. We say that our lives are stressed and always busy, yet when we have time to just stop and rest, we just complain about boredom (myself included in that last bit). Right now is a relatively easy time of the year for me. It is summer break, and most stress was gotten rid of after my last final exam. However, I still find myself constantly wanting something to do. I almost can feel stressed even when there is nothing that I absolutely have to do. So what can we do about stress, and how can we keep from being bored?

While there is nothing wrong with being busy and, for the most part, keeping ourselves occupied, there comes a time when we need to just stop. Today I came across a link posted by a friend on Facebook about The Daniel Challenge. It is a website devoted to helping people to challenge themselves to live like Daniel did in the Bible. In case you don't know, Daniel and his friends were shipped to Babylon, but they quickly realized that the food being served there would just not do. So they requested to be served healthy food and lots of water. The king's men finally accepted and Daniel and his friends, along with a few other healthful elements, ended up being stronger and better fit then all the other men. The website challenges you to focus on 10 elements that will improve your life. While I encourage you to try this out, there is one element in particular that caught my attention. The site describes it as "Trust More, Stress Less". That is a very interesting concept. All we have to do, is trust that everything will work out, which results in stressing less.  If only we could always live our lives like that.

God calls us to live that way as well. In Matthew 6, the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us not to worry. He tells us to stop worrying about the little things of this earth, because He already knows all our needs. We are told to seek the Kingdom of God, which will supply all our needs. Then in Matthew 6:34, which should be a familiar verse, it says "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its down worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." Jesus knew that our lives would get stressful and hectic, so he clearly lays it out for us. Just don't worry. The Daniel Challenge says that people who belief in a higher power stress less than those who don't. While I believe that is true, it doesn't come by just saying you're a Christian. You have to actually trust in God to deliver you from what ever situation your in. Want to get rid of or lessen your stress? While it may be hard, it's a simple answer. Trust More.

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." - Philippians 4:6