Are You Living a Minor League Life?
For those of you that don't know me, I work with the PGA TOUR. I focus on our Web.com Tour. This is the "Pathway to the PGA TOUR" or guys that are competing to gain the right to play on the PGA TOUR the following year. Many people consider it the "minor league" of golf. For the purposes of this post we can keep that mentality. So, I am around these guys all the time and see their pursuit of their dream up close. I also see the heartbreak and frustration that happens each year if they don't make it. There is a lot of sadness, but also a lot of joy for those that do.Additionally, a couple of friends and I went to a Minor League baseball game the other night for our local team, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp! Yes, that's right... That is our name. Regardless of the game, the concept is the same. These guys want to play for a "big league" team in the MLB. That's their goal, to play professional baseball.Also, my girlfriend used to work for the local ABA basketball team here in Jacksonville, the Giants. They have won the national championship multiple times and I have had the pleasure to meet many of them and get to know them through my relationship with my girlfriend.
So, what is the point of this? Here it is...
In each one of these sports the players are all have a similar mindset.
- They love the game they are playing
- Each player wants to find a way to play this game for a living at the highest level
- They want to win
THEY LOVE THE GAME THEY ARE PLAYINGWhen these guys step on the field of play (golf course, baseball diamond, or basketball court) they do it because they love the game. They could quit at any time. Their love of the game is one of the main things driving them to keep going.
Related Post: Praying At The Peak
Think about this for your life. Don't think about where you think you should be in your life, think about where you are right now. I guarantee you that every one of these athletes thinks they should be in the top of their sport. The reason you are alive is because God wants you to be alive and has a purpose for your life. If you just gave up because you weren't where you expected to be then you may miss His plan for you and make it harder for Him to get you where He ultimately wants you. Your love for God should continually propel you to live your life to the full. If you don't have a relationship with God, then this love He has for you is definitely worth pursuing and accepting.
THEY WANT TO FIND A WAY TO PLAY THIS GAME FOR A LIVING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
If you are like me, or most humans, in the back of your mind you have "your plan" for your life and where you would like to be in 5-10-20 years. You want to get a certain job, or live a certain lifestyle. There is always something driving you to get better and grow in the season of life you are in.Just like a minor league athlete, we want to be the best or at the top of whatever we are doing. I'll let you in on a little secret... God wants that for you too! (Jeremiah 29:11). Don't think for a second that God doesn't want you to grow out of where you are. He has you there for a reason and will make you better as a result.
THEY WANT TO WIN
This is my favorite aspect of all athletes. Regardless of what venue they are in, when the competition starts, they don't care what league they are in, they just fight in such a way to win. They aren't thinking about making it to the next level, they are thinking about winning that game.If we lived our lives like this with the love, fight and passion for every circumstance we were in, we would make such a difference in this world. If we had the desire to "win" every encounter we came upon for Jesus I can only imagine what this world would look like.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. - 1 Corinthians 9:24 NIV
Don't act as if you are entitled to be in the major league of life. Your calling may not be to preach in front of thousands of people, or running a major organization. Just win the day that God has put you in. I promise, the impact will be made, and God will continue putting you in the game. You'll be surprised when you wake up one day and all those little "wins" have turned into landing you in the majors! (Matthew 25:14-30 - Parable of the Talents)
The ultimate question: Are you Living a Minor League Life?
Its only minor league if you think of it as minor league. Focus on your LOVE, PASSION and PURSUIT of WINNING and there is nothing Minor League about anything God does through you do!