Let me first just catch you up to speed on all that has been going on this past week since my last posting...
Between training sessions, SMT (Sports Ministry Training), meetings preparing for our Mexico trip (we are leaving tomorrow), leveling for the pool, a couple chapels, a good afternoon with a few of my teammates that involved an hour and a half at Homestyle Buffet and a tandem bike ride down Imperial Highway (not the safest thing I have ever done), a couple more clinics, a unique learning experience about AIDS in Africa, and a soccer match this evening... I am certainly ready for Mexico, mainly because I can focus my attention on one task and get away from the business of L.A.
Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed my nearly two weeks of being here... but in that time I look back at all that has gone on already and can't even believe it hasn't even been two weeks... perhaps the weeks prior to me getting here were a bit crazier with getting my house ready, finishing school, graduating, and traveling were not of much help either.
We played a game this evening against the L.A. Legends and lost 2-0, the good news is I have finally joined the roster and got to play in my first game as a Seahorse this evening. Even though it wasn't a win, I did feel I played well... which is a start. Coach gave us three words to focus on during the game, the 3 p's... Proactive, Positive, and Peculiar... The one that stuck out most was "Peculiar". Apparently this one of Coach's favorite words and it stuck out to me as well, being set apart and distinguished... not necessarily in an unusual sense, but it could be that too. He challenged us to play in such a way that would set us apart, not with the intentions of being noticed, but to be glorifying. Hopefully the result would be to be noticed, yet that shouldn't be the goal, because it is something we must train ourselves to be always... even when no one is around.
Sadly, I don't think we accomplished our goal of being peculiar to the fullest extent, or in terms of a team effort... we fell a bit short. We'll just say the reffing seemed a bit off, yet that was enough to distract some of us from the game and our goals as a team.
The other two "P's" were more related to how we were to play... we didn't seem to accomplish those to objectives either. Which takes me back to the passage I've been thinking about as of last week. My friend Jim got back to me on an important part of my last post, I had written a piece that said... "Some people don't think Christians should foul or play hard..." something along those lines. I must not have read this carefully because it's true, no one should foul... intentionally. However I think I also put a little to much emphasis on the idea that we as Christians are called to win, win at all costs... that doesn't mean we can't lose. If someone has earned it, then I must simply re-evaluate what I have done... did I really deserve to win? If so, why didn't I? Did I really earn it?
In every game someone will lose... that doesn't mean one team is more spiritual than the other... it probably means that one team is more disciplined and has put in more time than the other time... however the real battle is if we all can truly say that we did everything we could have and played our best, not just going through the motions. For me, it took me a long time before I could really balance competition and every day life... To me it was win at all costs (not to the point of cheating, but I did hate losing more than anything else) and it was this mentality that hurt quite a few of my relationships when I was younger... sure I was young and it probably didn't mean much. Fortunately God has helped me learn to balance these things and has allowed me to still compete, without letting it consume me...
Paul writes, "I beat my body and make it a slave to myself..." This doesn't reflect a win at all costs attitude, it reflects an attitude of self-discipline and complete control over one's actions... and that is what we are called to do. Work our very hardest... to do our very best... and at the same time practicing a self-discipline that is second to none (simple to say, yet very hard to do).
Well... We leave for Mexico at midnight, so keep us in your prayers. If internet Access is available I will try to keep the blog up to date, however no promises can be made at this point.
Pray specifically for health and safe travel, that those of us going will prepared in mind, body, and soul to share God's love with everyone we encounter, and that the people we encounter will be open to hear and receive God's love for them.
All the best and God's blessings,
-Cyrus
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