Only Fair

 

Fair by definition means free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice; it doesn’t mean we always get what we want

Matt Russell.

Does the name ring a bell? Well, it didn’t for me either, till the other night when I was reading a devotional bedtime story to my youngest daughter.

Here is what I learned about Matt Russell in nutshell.  He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1997 as a fourth round linebacker out of Colorado University.  He was the reigning Dick Butkus award winner, which is given to the nation’s best collegiate linebacker. In his first pro season, Russell played sparingly mostly as a backup.  Going into the 1998 season he was touted as a starting linebacker.  However, in the preseason, his one knee was terribly injured and he spent an entire year rehabbing it. 

Now, get this.  In 1999, after regaining his health, the following preseason he severely injuries his other knee and misses another entire season. The next year, he found himself out of football altogether.

If you ask me, although Matt Russell got some tough setbacks, he has had what all of us in life tend to encounter.  Who among us, hasn’t had a work related injury?  Who hasn’t lost a job or known someone who has?  Who hasn’t had a lifelong dream shattered?  In essence, who hasn’t been treated by life a little cruelly?

What really happened to Matt Russell was only fair; he had a shot in the NFL it just didn’t work out.  Later in his life, he became a scout for the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots.  And just a month ago, he won a Super Bowl as the director of player personal of the Denver Broncos. Not too bad for a guy who got knocked down by life.

Here is some advice freely given by TV’s Everybody Loves Raymond’s dad, when he told someone down on their luck… SUCK IT UP NANCY.

The only real fair in life is the one in which they give out blue ribbons to pigs.

Swavel

Open Doors

Opportunity is only a possibility if you pursue it, not just talk about it.

Life can be frustrating to say the least. 

 

Sometimes, we all try to do too much and the result is something less than desirable.  The reason being, I personally believe, is that we are trying to pursue opportunities or open doors in our life and make the most of them. This got me to thinking of when in my life; I have witnessed some open doors:

* Just the other day I was outside a customer's house, doing an outside pest control service, when I noticed something I have done on occasion.  The father of the family was watching his two young daughters while trying to field a work related conference call.  And apparently in his haste, to get his energy filled children in the house, he left the passenger rear door of his SUV wide open.  So, I shut it. .  That open door reminded me that sometimes we can try to do too much.

* In the past, I had a nasty habit of not completely shutting the doors on my one car.  The end result was I killed my battery way too often.  You think I would have learned, but during that season of my life I just kept not closing it tight enough and the dome light would stay on all night.  Those open doors just seemed to lead to exasperation.

* Once, many years ago, I high fived my second oldest daughter.  The problem with that was she was at the top of our stairs that lead directly to a cement landing, when the incident occurred.  Much to my dismay, she lost her balance and toppled down the stairs with me chasing after her, just out of my reach.  However, when she reached the bottom of the stairs, she kicked the door open and did not hit the concrete slab, which lay at the bottom of the steps.  That open door taught me that there is a time and place for everything.

* On another occasion, with my youngest daughter, I was driving while she was in the back seat of my car when the door flew open.  She had not shut it tight and I yelled her name and abruptly stopped the car and shut the door.  Fortunately, she was a wearing seat belt.  That open door taught me that you better buckle your seat belt for whatever life may have in store. 

* Then, there was a time about a year or so ago, when I was at someone’s house that had just heard some life altering news.  One of the visitors, who had come before I had arrived, left one of their doors open, so I shut it.  That open door reminded me that life can just be overwhelming sometimes.

* Here in Pennsylvania, there is a particular phenomenon at a certain convenience store called Wa Wa.  This marvel is the act of people holding the door open for one another as they enter the store. And get this, the patrons even seem to enjoy the act as well. Many years ago, Wa Wa made holding doors open, one of their core values. And it really seems to have caught on with their happy customers.  This open door policy makes you feel glad you came.  

This is just my opinion, but I think that God always leaves the door open. First off, He does so for all who want to come in and accept his offer of eternal life.  This is best depicted by the classic painting of Jesus doing one better and pursuing us.  In the picture, Jesus is outside knocking on the door of our hearts so He that can come inside.

Secondly, for those who are His followers, God opens the right doors at the right time.  However this can be frustrating, because many times these doors don’t leave us feeling any better about ourselves.  However, I think a lot of times, the doors God opens for us are the ones better suited for our needs, but don’t always leave us with a warm fuzzy feeling. 

With that being said, I would rather live with that uneasy feeling and trust that my navigator, God, will get me to where I need to be, when I need to be there. I’ll just have to buckle up and enjoy the ride best I can. 

The best open door needs to be my heart to God’s purpose for my life.

Swavel      

Coffee Stained

Everyone does something they wish they wouldn’t do.

I am my own worst enemy.

Just the other day, I was driving to work when I made a terribly alarming discovery.  What happened was that my coffee dispenser that I had strapped into the front seat of my truck spilled.  Worse than that, it had fallen into my duffle bag of work items and been there for about 30 minutes.  It was a lake and I was as hot as the coffee. Not to mention, coffee stains are a real bear to clean.

The blame for all of this falls on me.  I had way too much stuff in my truck.  Just for starters, in my duffle bag, I had a map book, an orange vest, lunch bag, flashlight, winter gloves, printer paper, a football trivia book and the list goes on.  Some of that is because my office is my truck, but the other part is that I am unorganized. 

This is not my first run in with coffee stains.  It seems like about once a week I spill coffee on my pants, shirt or jacket. Maybe, I just drink too much coffee and or maybe I am just too careless.  Being in a hurry, trying to do too much, can cause trouble.  And most of us do the dance with organized chaos.

So, I guess what I learned the other day is that less is more.  Try to be better organized, so as to maximize what can be done in a day. But, some days there is only so much you can do in day.  And some days you spill your coffee, and all you can do is clean it up and keep moving.

We all are a little coffee stained in our souls, thankfully God cleans us up, if we let Him.

Swavel