Gospel Prism

Today, our church played in an inter-church volleyball tournament. I’ve been doing this ever since my volleyball crazed youth pastor (yes, that’s you Billy!) got me hooked on it. Each time I seem to have passed it by (such as seminary), volleyball somehow how comes back again. So we made it to the quarterfinals, but alas, we were beaten by the same team that won it two years ago. They have also won it all the past two years, so I guess getting beat by the champs isn’t all bad.

But this story is not about volleyball per se. As I was in the middle of playing our last team, as much as I wanted to “get up� for the game and raise the intensity, I also began to see that the Lord was telling me to keep an eternal perspective as I played. In other words, competing is good, but it is not ultimate. What is ultimate is whether I drink, eat, or play volleyball, I do it for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). There much ado about nothing in today’s sports that makes it seem as though God does really care much about the outcomes of games. But Scripture tells us that God cares much more about the outcome of His glory and how all things are supposed to be used to that end.

I’m not saying that I quit playing at that moment. But what I am saying is that I played keeping in mind that I am made for another world (Philippians 3:20). And since I am made for that world, I should not and will not live as though my current world means everything to me. Perhaps this is a continuation of my reflections on death and heaven since Brian’s death. These days there isn’t much that happens where I do not pause and reflect on life and death.

So I thank God that I can enjoy palying volleyball with my brothers and friends. The camaraderie is wonderful and to exercise the body is also a joy. But as I feel my flesh creeping over my soul once again, like a spider that has captured its prey and twirling it around its webbing as it prepares its succulent meal (I actually saw this in my dining room live, a small spider had a fruit fly in its grasp spinning it in its web), as I felt my angst towards myself for mistakes and the mistakes of my teammates, I was thankful to remember that I am a citizen of heaven. And as a citizen of heaven, I am above my flesh creeping over my soul. I am a child of God and no Enemy and no sinful heart can ever take that away. So thank God for the joy of playing volleyball. And thank God also that Christ outshines by an eternity even the greatest feeling I could have in winning it all. Now that is something to “get up� for!