One of the Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals
November 16, 2005
When You Get Hurt
by John Fischer
What happens when you get hurt? If you're on a kindergarten soccer team, play stops and everyone sits down wherever they happen to be on the field at the time. Then the coach runs over to see how you are while Mom and Dad stand helplessly on the sidelines. It's a good thing, too, because the last thing you want is your mom running out on the field when you've skinned your knee.
In one case this year, our most fragile player got hit in the head. Something like this was going to happen sooner or later. He's a little wisp of a guy whose valiant attempts to get at the ball are often overcome by bigger and stronger kids, even on his own team. (That's something else about kindergarten soccer, by the way. Everyone goes after the ball. The idea of teamwork hasn't quite sunk in yet. It's not uncommon to see two or three members of the same team fighting for the ball. That's why one of the things most often shouted by the coaches is "Same team! Same team!" In fact, I think it was a "same team" collision that precipitated this particular injury.) So thirteen players sat down while our coach rushed to comfort the crying child.
After examining his head, the coach winked at the parents on the sidelines and held up two fingers. "How many fingers?" he asked, with an overly serious look on his face.
"Two," said the little boy, rather proudly. He must have seen this somewhere before because he was rising to the occasion.
"How many now?"
"Three!"
"'Atta boy!" He was okay now - on his feet and a player again. With a high five the coach called out, "You're good to go!" and that was that. Everybody up! On with the game!
Wouldn't you love for this to happen when you get hurt? The world stops for you. Care is given. Encouraging words are spoken and you are high-fived back into the game. Well why not? Isn't that what we're all here to provide for one another? "If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad" (1 Corinthians 12:26).
Remember, we're all on the same team; we just have different gifts in keeping with our various roles. If you find yourself in a tussle with another believer over who's got the ball, someone needs to yell "Same team!" And if someone gets hurt, everyone sit down while we see how they are.
When You Get Hurt
by John Fischer
What happens when you get hurt? If you're on a kindergarten soccer team, play stops and everyone sits down wherever they happen to be on the field at the time. Then the coach runs over to see how you are while Mom and Dad stand helplessly on the sidelines. It's a good thing, too, because the last thing you want is your mom running out on the field when you've skinned your knee.
In one case this year, our most fragile player got hit in the head. Something like this was going to happen sooner or later. He's a little wisp of a guy whose valiant attempts to get at the ball are often overcome by bigger and stronger kids, even on his own team. (That's something else about kindergarten soccer, by the way. Everyone goes after the ball. The idea of teamwork hasn't quite sunk in yet. It's not uncommon to see two or three members of the same team fighting for the ball. That's why one of the things most often shouted by the coaches is "Same team! Same team!" In fact, I think it was a "same team" collision that precipitated this particular injury.) So thirteen players sat down while our coach rushed to comfort the crying child.
After examining his head, the coach winked at the parents on the sidelines and held up two fingers. "How many fingers?" he asked, with an overly serious look on his face.
"Two," said the little boy, rather proudly. He must have seen this somewhere before because he was rising to the occasion.
"How many now?"
"Three!"
"'Atta boy!" He was okay now - on his feet and a player again. With a high five the coach called out, "You're good to go!" and that was that. Everybody up! On with the game!
Wouldn't you love for this to happen when you get hurt? The world stops for you. Care is given. Encouraging words are spoken and you are high-fived back into the game. Well why not? Isn't that what we're all here to provide for one another? "If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad" (1 Corinthians 12:26).
Remember, we're all on the same team; we just have different gifts in keeping with our various roles. If you find yourself in a tussle with another believer over who's got the ball, someone needs to yell "Same team!" And if someone gets hurt, everyone sit down while we see how they are.
posted by Tysey at 3:51 p.m.
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