The joy of the Lord be yours! It is difficult to believe that November is already upon us. I find that more often than not, I catch myself wondering how we can be so far along in another year. It seems that time just goes by and often it goes by unnoticed until we pause to reflect upon where we have been and where we may be going. Time also seems to go by at a faster pace when we are involved in many activities and/or work. Maybe that is why the last few months have appeared to go at break-neck speed. When I look at my calendar since August, I find that it has been filled with a variety of activities. Some of these activities have caused me to stumble upon the topic that I wish to discuss with you this month.
One set of activities that has occupied a large amount of my time over the last couple of months is the cross country meets that I have been attending. With the first week of September, I have been at one or two meets a week. Both of my sons are running cross country this year and luckily their meets are always at the same location so Joyce and I have been able to watch both of them run. I am truly a spectator when it comes to this sport. There is no way that I could ever run the distance that either of the boys run. My running consists of running from viewing location to viewing location along their routes. I am just fine with being a spectator and standing along the sides to cheer them and all the runners on our teams. My role is to provide support and encouragement. I believe those two things are what any spectator at an event should provide.
However, I want to broaden the understanding of a spectator to life and the activities of life. I think that we all are constantly making choices. When we come along activities or events in life and the life of the community in which we live, we can choose to become a participant or a spectator. If we choose to become a participant then we are actively engaging in those activities or events. As a participant, we make decisions and take actions always with the desire of bring about the best results based upon our skills, knowledge, and abilities. We also have a vested interest in the outcome.
If we choose to not become participants but instead take the role of a spectator, I believe that our chief role should be to provide support and encouragement for those who are actively involved. This to me means that our role is not to criticize or ridicule the decisions and actions of the participants but instead try to identify the positive results of those actions and decisions. Now at times, this can be very difficult because we may not understand the motives or the reasons for the actions and decisions that people make. Without asking them directly, it would be unfair to make assumptions concerning those actions or decisions and therefore it would be unfair to pass judgment on them. Yet how many times do we catch ourselves watching a football game on television and making negative comments about a play, a player, and/or a coach when they do something that does not necessary result in our definition of success.
I think that often we find it a lot easier to be “armchair quarterbacks or coaches” than to actively become involved in something. We would rather sit and the stands to point out all the decisions and actions that are wrong instead of participating and making a difference. Jesus confronted the leadership of his time with this same argument. He criticized those who told others how they were to live out their faith and take care of those in need but failed to do so themselves. Jesus became actively involved in life and the ministry of the Kingdom of God by eating with the despised, healing the sick, praying with those in need, and reaching out wherever he was.
It is not easy being a participant. If you ever look into the face of a young person running in a cross country meet, you know that it demands a lot to participate in a sport like this. You have to train hard, you have to endure good and bad weather, you have to experience the hills and the valleys. However, if you choose to participate, then you also experience those times of success when you come to find that it was worth it. And if you choose to be a spectator, there is value in that role as well. You feel you share in some of that success if you have been there to cheer and support those who participate. The key difference is that if you choose to be a spectator then you must limit yourself to encourage and support rather than criticize.
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