goals

Wisdom Gained from My Gaming Days

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

Yeah, I’ve done my share of PC gaming in my time. Not recently, but I have spent time in front of the old PC in the non-productive world of playing video games.

My favorite is still Wolfenstein. It’s an old-school first-person shooter where you have to escape by killing a bunch of Nazis. It was a great stress reliever and a great way to take my mind off real life for a while.

I confess that I figured out a way to cheat the game and give me unlimited life and ammo. I made it through the entire game, but somehow the thrill was lessened by the knowledge that I was guaranteed not to lose or be killed by Nazis.

Life is that way, too.

Many times, we play only when we know we will win. We only place safe bets. In a world where winning is everything and failure is anathema, we want to be assured of guaranteed success before we even start.

But, as I have come to learn, true success can only come when failure is a very real possibility. You can’t ever really win if you were never in danger of losing.

Some of life’s greatest lessons come through losing and spiritual growth and change come many times through failure and the refusal to let that failure be final in your life.

I have played it safe for too long. I haven’t taken risks and I have had chances I didn’t take because my fear of failure was bigger than my faith.

Success isn’t the best thing. I think stepping out in faith is, even if you fall. The real victory is taking that first step into the unknown without any assurances that the ground will hold you up. It’s the willingness to keep taking that first step after so many times of falling down and failing.

Success is knowing that God is on your side, knowing that He won’t ever leave or forsake you, knowing that He who began a good work in you will complete it in Jesus.

I think it’s high time I took that first step . . .

The First Step

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 1 Comment

I’ve always heard that every journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step. I also heard that the way to eat an elephant is one bite at the time, though I’m not so sure why anyone would want to eat an elephant. Maybe I got that one wrong, but if you’re hankering for a big ol’ elephant steak well-done, then have at it, but I’ll pass.

Sometimes, I look at my dreams and goals that seem so far away and I feel paralyzed with the enormity of the task. I look at the mountain in front of me and think that I can’t even see the top of it, much less see past it. How in the world will I ever get there?

Then I remember that God says, “Just worry about the first step. Then once you get that done, worry about the next one. Don’t worry about what’s far off down the horizon, but concentrate on the next step.”

Are you trying to lose weight? Just think about losing that one pound, then the next.

Are you wanting to build a strong prayer life? Start with five minutes and build slowly from there.

The point isn’t how well you start, but that you start. One actual step forward is better than all the grandiose grand plans that never see fruition and all those miles you were going to cover but never did.

I remind you as I was reminded in a sermon once that all God needs to do great things in and through you is a small place to start. A small mustard seed of faith. A little of our agreement. Your “Yes” to Jesus.

It’s never too late to start. It’s never too late to take the first step toward your destination. So step out and see what happens next.