My Way or God’s Ways (Bot9 #285)
In the span of 24 hours in October of 1992, Deion Sanders suited up for two postseason baseball games in Pittsburgh and a professional football game in Miami. It was an astounding feat, a display of incredible athleticism, but the event caused a fair share of controversy. After returning to Pittsburgh, Sanders discovered that he would be a “healthy scratch” for the baseball game. In the minds of the brass of the Atlanta Braves, Sanders had violated an agreement that he had with the team - that he would stay with the Braves throughout the playoffs. Though he was there in plenty of time for the game, the fact that he chose to go play the football game in Miami was a sign that Deion was going to do things ‘his way’ and not their way.
As 2020 began, I felt a phrase imposed on my heart and mind. It was one of those things where you see things over and over again, but they all led to the same idea.
“My way or God’s ways.”
Just recently, I was reintroduced to a theological term - “total depravity.” Doesn’t feel like a great way to describe someone at first, but the definition is helpful. Total depravity asserts that ‘people are not inclined or even able to love God wholly with heart, mind, and strength, but rather are inclined by nature to serve their own will and desires and reject his rule.’ There it is again - is it about choosing my way or God’s ways?
My first steps into God’s ways started back in 2001. I submitted my professional life to Jesus and became a head high school baseball coach that summer at the age of 27. Later that year, I chose to be baptized and born again into the faith. That fall, my walk with the Lord continued to intensify and He led me to my first mission trip - a trip to New York City to serve at St. Paul’s Chapel of Trinity Church just one block away from the World Trade Center site to provide quiet, respite, and a place to pray with those working to clear the rubble from the destruction left from 9/11. Needless to way, my first year with God and moving my perspective from serving my own will to serving His was incredible.
Trust in God is not only built in those times that benefit you or take your breath away, however. Over these past four years, I’ve chosen what I believe to be God’s ways for my life and that road has been rocky. We picked up and moved after reaching a pinnacle. That move turned out to be short-lived. I joined up to help a friend rebuild his business. That business closed after 18 months. I took leadership of a small organization. That caused the loss of a friendship. The lessons I’ve learned have been so valuable and my trust in God’s ways has been galvanized through difficulty.
So what are God’s ways? While I’m sure being a good, moral person has a place in this discussion, I think God’s calling all of us to an even greater perspective of His ways. When I think of God’s ways, I think of many things: individual growth for community benefit, caring about others more than yourself, standing up for unity, gratitude in the face of difficulties, pursuing long-term fruit, transformation, peace, joy, and things that allow a person to live with a firm foundation. Jesus is the exemplification of God’s ways - a man willing to submit to God’s rule and reject His own will and desires. This must be our filter as Christ followers.
This whole pandemic and quarantine has given us all room to pause. We’re being forced to submit to a way of life we may or may not agree with. For me, it’s been a time of loss after a period of anticipation. I became a head coach again after a couple of years as an assistant. The excitement coming into the year was at a fever pitch. I have only been involved with three teams who have finished under .500, and 2019 was one of those years. In 2006, we finished as the state runner-up after my first sub-.500 year. In 2016, a year after the second sub-.500 season, we won the state title. We were under .500 in 2019 and ready for that kind of run. Only…it didn’t happen. We didn’t even get to play a game together. We’re searching for God’s way in this and might not find out what He was working out through this for a long time.
One of the favorite things I have heard in the past couple of months is, “God didn’t allow this pandemic to occur so that we could all go on more walks.” I can get behind that. What I don’t want to do is get out ahead of God and end up on the bench like Deion did. It seems, at times, that people desiring to live life God’s way instead of their own way is as rare as a multi-sport star of Deion’s caliber. At the end of the day, we can always remind ourselves of this when we want to seek out God’s ways…
“It’s not about me.”