unsure, but totally.
are you an all or nothing person?
because i totally am.
when i’m your friend, i’m your friend for life.
when i love, i love hard.
when i say we are going to win, we are going to win.
all in people are very competitive.
we stop at nothing until the job is done.
we sacrifice ourselves to make the diving catch.
in our world, the sky has no limit;
and there is always more to do.
the problem with people like us, is we like to control everything.
and i mean everything.
we think somehow by choosing to put more effort in, we can control the outcome.
somehow, our influence will make the impossible, possible.
for instance:
(from the facts i remember, this is a true story)
when i was in college, my university did not have a football team,
so naturally basketball games were the biggest sporting event on campus.
i did not grow up a basketball person, but through this experience, i learned to love it.
in another life i swear i was a cheerleader, because out of everyone in the gym i was the loudest.
after a full game of cheering, our team was behind, by a lot.
nearing the end, the crowd was somber, we were down by 20.
it was almost silent.
you could feel the defeat in the room.
5 minutes left.
we’re toast.
i said to myself, “what if we had the power to change the outcome?”
now, if you follow basketball…(i don’t really so this is probably wrong)
if you’re down by more than 10 points, you’re pretty much out of luck when you get into the final minutes.
but hey, this is college basketball and anything can happen.
something came over me.
i stood up and yelled,
“HEY, THERE’S STILL TIME. WE CAN DO THIS!”
and started cheering all on my own.
we
are
down
by
TWENTY.
instead of leaving me at the game and never speaking to me ever again, my comrades began to join me and before you knew it,
the whole gym was on their feet screaming their faces off.
and then…a basket.
and then another…
and another…
and then…
a THREE POINTER!
the room was electric.
the players were jumping up and down.
the coach was ecstatic.
we had closed the gap.
we could do this.
2 minutes left.
the other team scores.
deflation.
we score.
uprising.
we score again.
again.
foul.
score.
pretty soon, it’s 30 seconds left and we are only two baskets away from coming back from a 20 point deficit.
can i just spoil the ending?
we won.
(and the crowd goes wild)
we stormed the court.
high fives and hugs.
players lifted each other up.
kisses happened…(not to me)
it was magical.
and i have enough pride enough to say to myself
i
made
this
happen
haha…i was so stupid.
of course i didn’t win the game.
i shot no baskets.
went to no practices.
didn’t give the players water.
heck, i wasn’t even wearing the right color in the stands.
the only thing i did was believe in something strong enough for a chance to make the impossible happen.
could we have won if i wasn’t in the room?
OF COURSE.
and in fact, i could not have done anything at all if our team wasn’t even good or if there were no other people in the stands.
the facts are, the odds were stacked to favor the impossible.
what do you mean?
i mean, if the chess pieces aren’t on the board, we can’t play chess.
we can only use the cards we are dealt.
(greg, you’re using too many different board game references)
what i’m saying is because of the factors in the room,
the amount of people,
the time left on the clock,
the angels in the outfield (wrong movie)
i made a decision to go “all in” on something that everyone else was convinced couldn’t happen.
do you do this?
do you go “all in” when your friends tell you, you can’t?
do you go “all in” when the status quo doesn’t line up with your dreams?
do you go “all in” even after you’ve tried and tried and fail?
see, i’ve gone “all in” many many times, and have failed.
i’ve placed my life and heart on the line way too many times to count,
and every single time the odds were not in my favor.
the cards stacked against me.
the world telling me i will not succeed.
but what kind of a story is a story without conflict?
what kind of a boring existence would we be stuck in if we didn’t have to have a little faith?
tell me it’s impossible and i’ll either prove you right or i’ll prove you wrong,
either way, i come out a champ.
no one gets mad at the guy who tried the impossible and failed.
but guess who gets the most critics.
guess who those critics are…
the people who tried and failed or the people who never tried at all?
i’m going to venture to guess that those who actually try and know the meaning of hard work don’t become the critics who never leave the sidelines.
i may lose my voice cheering for a losing team but i’d rather lose my voice than lose a chance at glory.
there is no problem you can’t solve.
no obstacle you can’t overcome.
no pressure that will push you out.
you are more than a conqueror.
you’re an advocate for a miracle.
this could be a great motivational talk and you could let it stop you there,
or you could apply this to your relationship with Jesus.
for nothing is impossible with God.
i’m “all in” on Jesus.
i’m “all in” on what God wants to do in my life.
i may not always act like it, lord.
i may feel that 5 minutes left, down by 20 pressure,
and it may cause me to doubt
and it may deflate me
and it may distract me,
but father, let me never lose sight of who truly is in control.
and that’s not me.
i’m not in control of anything except how i respond.
some of us can respond in lackluster and defeat.
walking away brittle and overwhelmed.
or we can dig deeper.
we can go “all in” when it doesn’t make sense.
we can say i want it all or nothing at all.
we can face impossibilities and say,
i’m unsure, but totally.
we can live our lives like our life depends on it.
because it truly does.
i know you’re alive,
but are you truly living?
let’s decide today,
let’s go “all in”
and let’s let God carry us into the impossible.
-gb
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