Christian Living
One of the qualities of many a successful athlete is the ability to play hurt. Especially as the season wears on and injuries accumulate it becomes necessary at times to play through pain and even sickness in the hope that the decision to do so won't boomerang as a consequence and result in much worse pain and sickness so as to be totally debilitating or a danger to others and thus a liability to the team. But often certain athletes playing hurt or sick have inspired team mates and made the difference between winning and losing championships or at least being competitive in the pursuit of one.
Recently this truth was brought home afresh where I had made a couple or three commitments and I was not physically feeling up to following through with them in the expected time frame. I was determined to push through the discomfort anyway even when others advised against it. When I did some remarkable things happened that made the effort worthwhile. In one case came a breakthrough I had not expected with several persons in a group at once which will be a highlight of this new year. The opposition that I anticipated to the truth that I was presenting simply didn't occur, instead the truth was heartily affirmed! In two other cases doors of opportunity were opened from being in the right place at exactly the right time where I could speak words in due season.
None of this would have happened if I had done what my body was crying out for me to do which was to stay home and play it safe. Sometimes soldiers have to limp like God-wrestling Jacob into the battle, and strangely that is often when they have the greatest impact. When Jesus couldn't even stand up any longer under the load of the Cross on which he would be crucified, is just when he was about to change the world forever. (See Matthew 27, v.32) Think about it, if Jesus hadn't been willing to play hurt he would not have led the thief on the cross to paradise during the throes and agony of his crucifixion. Neither would he have given straightforward instructions to John to care for his own mother, informing Mary also that John was about to step into the role of a responsible son. (John 19, v.26-27) Furthermore if the Apostles Paul and Silas had not been willing to play hurt and sing praises in the jail after their beating, the earth would never have been shaken by their praise and the Phillipian jailer and his family would never have been saved. (Acts 16) There is so much of the New Testament additionally (13 epistles) that we would never have received if Paul hadn't "remained in the game" in the midst of much suffering. Scripture is replete with example after example.
When we "play hurt" we are forced into more of a dependence on the strength of God and into less dependence on our own failing human strength. It is late in the season of our own lives for many of us, some more than others. Injuries have indeed accumulated. We feel bruised, scarred, probably that we have failed in so many ways. But we can't let that distract us from the task at hand or from the next challenge, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. Family and friends have distanced themselves and disappointed us and we them, but God has a way of giving us new family to nurture and appreciate if we have eyes to see them. We must stay in the game, we don't know what might happen through our presence or, really, His presence in us.
As a high school football player I was issued ill-fitting football cleats early in the season. I didn't want to miss any practice so I made the best use of them I could. The trouble was it resulted in horrible blisters that had to be treated each evenig with alcohol. It was excruciatingly painful. One evening as I writhed and moaned on the training table I twisted suddenly to see our fullback amusing himself and others at my suffering. Of course he was ashamed when caught in his lack of sympathy, but the damage had been done. There is no gaurantee that playing hurt will be appreciated, or rewarded, or even noticed. This reality can make the pain even worse when it already seemed unbearable. We may be facing "blistering" situations around us this very day. But if we stay in the game we may make a difference and prove to be some kind of factor in the outcome, no matter how small. And we aren't the best judges of what is large and what is small. I never regretted for long staying active that football season. My participation did make a difference both in others' lives and my own. I wouldn't be sitting here otherwise, sharing and reflecting on the valuable lessons learned!
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It seemed to me there's more that could be said here. If you're like me, when I first began to write, I'd get a thought captured in print and reread it to see if I saw what I was hoping to communicate.
That changed when another writer suggested I read my work out loud to a trusted and honest person then ask them what they "heard or saw" and then I'd know if I'd made my point.
It's one thing to "tell" a story, it's another thing to "show a story" and considering the topic you have here, I believe more could be shown. Especially developing of the experiences you had in "playing hurt". It gives us, as your readers, a way to connect with you, to relate to what it is you went through.
Great topic, but I think you're holding out on us and the depth of soul that is yours would be a blessing to us.