Opening Day

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

I woke up this morning feeling kind of tired from a long and busy first day of practice. Today is another busy day and I was talking to myself on the way to work about being equally excited about day number two of a long season. It is easy to be excited for opening day. When I am getting ready for the opening day of football practice, I want everything to be perfect and all the other coaches feel the same. We clean our meeting rooms, clean all the white boards, make sure all the equipment is ready, and make sure every line on the field is perfectly painted. After opening day your body is sore and you have to make yourself be excited. The meeting rooms, that were clean for a short time, become dirty and the energy is not there to clean. The white boards in my room, that were color coded on day one, become a smear of colors and hand prints. Equipment, that was organized and clean on day one, becomes scattered and smelly, and everyone hopes to not have to clean it up. And, the once perfectly straight lines on the field, will soon zig-zag across our practice field. The fans are excited for opening day too. On opening day I always know we will have visitors at practice and the media is hanging around taking pictures.

I noticed a few things today as I was getting ready to leave after practice. The chairs in my meeting room were scattered all over the room, my white board is covered in markings, the once newly waxed hallway is now sticky from spills, my previously organized desk is surrounded with random pieces of equipment and boxes, and I did not see a single news camera at practice today. We are all still excited about the season and preparing for our first game, but the excitement for the small things and the energy to keep up with the minor details fades fast.

I think I have this same attitude in my walk with Jesus. The big events, like Sunday morning worship, are easy to be excited about and I always feel renewed after hearing the pastor’s message. But Monday, the day after opening day, rolls around and the excitement has worn off and it is much more difficult to have time and energy for the little things. I hurry through a passage in my bible, I try to pray while my brain is filled with other thoughts, and I allow the world to control my life. I prayed this morning to remain excited about the many days that come after, “Opening day”. It takes prayer and bible study to keep our focus on the ordinary days. Pray and ask God to give you the wisdom to seek Him for guidance and comfort, and also ask Him for the energy it will take for the days that follow opening day.


Chad