Keeping Your Eye On The Prize
By Shakera Reid
When I attended my very first college football game several
years ago, I was so excited. I only knew the basic gist of the
game back then, but nothing too in depth. The Seminoles were
playing the Hurricanes and naturally, I was rooting for the
Seminoles. I knew which end zone to look to for touchdowns and I
knew when to cheer. After the game began, the excitement of
watching it rapidly wore off. I felt like I had been waiting
forever, but neither of the teams had scored. I then began to
find my entertainment elsewhere. Die-hard fans were chanting
loudly with there faces painted. People were waving their
paraphernalia wildly and were just having the time of their
life. It became more interesting "people watching" than actually
watching the game.
Shortly after I found my next subject to observe, the crowd went
wild. People were standing, screaming and cheering all around
me, and you could hear the Seminole's war chant resounding
throughout the stadium. It took me a split second to realize
that I had missed the first touchdown of the game. It was
disappointing because that's what I'd been waiting to see and
now I could only celebrate based on something that I'd heard
about.
I think that's how it is with Christians. With God, it is a
waiting game. In His time He does things in our lives that make
all the difference in the world. The only catch is that we wait
on Him. We always start off strong, excited, and on fire for the
Lord, but then we get distracted. We take our eye off the prize,
watching and judging those around us. Always checking out what
we're missing outside of our Christian walk. In a moment of
weakness, or simply when we let our guard down, we miss it. We
miss that special word designed just for us during a service. We
miss the solution to the problem that we've been praying about.
We miss the opportunity to provide service to someone. Then, we
wonder why God didn't show up. Well, he did show up. We're often
too busy with the wrong things to receive Him. Unfortunately,
there is no instant replay. We've just missed out on our
blessing until the next opportunity.
We get so caught up in rituals and rules of religion, or with
everyone else's drama that we often miss that intimate
connection with God. You don't want to have to just hear about
how great God is through other people's testimony. Keep your eye
on the prize. Even when you fall short, get right back up and
refocus on Him so that He can do great things in your life.
Shakera Reid was born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in
Miramar, Florida.
Her passion in life is counseling and educating youth. Hobbies
include traveling, writing and watching movies.
Her hope is to encourage others through her writing and to help
them in their Christian walk.
