One of the things I really love about sports is how the really good players make those around them better. When you have someone who is not only a great athlete, but a great leader and motivator – it makes their teammates better. I’ve seen it over and over. And I’ve experienced it. They motivate others to rise up to the challenge and play at a different level.
But it’s not just in sports where I’ve experienced this, but really in all aspects of life – in the workplace with my team of colleagues, and in the home with my family, especially in my marriage. And most times, I’ve been on the receiving end – where my wife through her support and leadership, her belief in me and her faith in God has made me want to be a better husband. And with my son, in the things I have seen in him, the things he has taught me makes me want to be a better father. And through other men – I see their faith and how they live life with integrity – it makes me want to be a better man. A man of faith and a man of integrity.
I’ve always been like that, learning from example. Even at work, I learn best when I have a real-world example, seeing what someone else has done, and learning from their mistakes, and also the successful way they accomplished it, which then inspires me to be better, to see the right way. I’ve got many examples in my life of how to live, and no One more impactful that Jesus.
But the biggest thing I think we can learn from Jesus is how we can be that example to others, how we ourselves can make others want to be better – better as Christian men and women – out in the community, our workplaces, and most especially our families. By living the example of Christ best we can, by living lives of love and integrity and faith – we can be that example to others in our lives who are watching us. We can make ‘the players’ around us better, and we can truly be fishers of men through our actions, leading people to the ways of Christ simply by striving to live our lives to the best of our ability and relying Christ and His Grace to take us the rest of the way.
I think when we do that, people see that, and they want to be that. We each need to be that – that Christlike example to others around us.
The thing is – how do we be that? How do we be better? Here is how I have been trying to grow.
First, God sends people into our lives that make us want to do just that. I can count a handful of people in my life that Jesus worked through that have changed me, that at each step of the way have made me want to be a better person, a better husband and father, and a better man of faith. We need to take the time to recognize that God is working through them and really embrace that, ands soak it all in. And pray.
Second, we have to see God’s grace in life’s moments – big and small – and recognize it for what it truly is – God’s grace. There are just some things that we as humans cannot do on our own. Overcoming vice or addiction or habitual sin, certain solutions to problems that come out of the blue, seeing life from a different perspective or overcoming fear in some element of our lives – we don’t overcome them without God’s grace. We cannot become the person we are meant to be, who He designed us to be, we cannot realize our potential until we accept this fact that we need His help. And pray.
Third, we’ve got to choose to be better. God can send us all the help in the world, but if we do not actually choose to act, choose to take that next step and drop those nets so to speak and follow where He is calling us, then how can we expect to get better, to realize our potential? Fortunately, His grace is so strong at points in our life that this choice is easier to make. But we have to make the choice. And pray.
And fourth, be thankful. In those times where you’ve seen God at work, or you’ve received blessings or experienced a change in yourself – be thankful. Gratitude is everything. Don’t try to dissect or analyze it or try to understand or rationalize why – simply thank and praise Him and just open your heart up to His love and grace. Open yourself up, and let Him flood in. And pray.
This is how I’ve been able to work through circumstances in life and start to move towards that person God wants me to be. It’s a lifelong process, we all know that, but we can make great strides along the way and through our betterment bring others along with us through our example. And the one thing underlying all of this, is prayer.
We need to spend as much time with Jesus through prayer as we can. It’s what makes all of this possible. It’s what gives us the grace to follow Him in life, to follow His calling and to get to Heaven with Him someday.
Learn from His example. Let Him help you be better. Let Him work through you to help others be better. Let Him help you rise to the challenge set before you, and be His instrument and bring as many people to Him through your actions as you can.
