Sunday, August 10, 2014

"Stay In Your Lane"

Stay In Your Lane
Good Morning. Today’s power scripture comes from 2 Kings 22:2 (NET)- “2He did what the Lord approved and followed in his ancestor David’s footsteps; he did not deviate to the right or the left.”

       As a youngster one of our favorite indoor activities was to compete in a friendly game of bowling.  It was fun to pit one team against another to see who would score highest and of course which team would make the most ‘strikes’. For those of you unfamiliar with the game, the object is to roll a large, heavy ball down a highly polished wooden lane to knock over ten pins strategically positioned at the end of the lane.  At first glance it seems like a pretty straight forward easy thing to accomplish; but there is definitely an art and a science to getting all the pins to fall.  While many new bowlers believe the clue to success in knocking over the pins comes from applying brute force as they hurl the bowling ball down the lane; seasoned veterans know that it is not by force but by precision that pins fall.  On the floor boards of the lane are dots and arrow markings that if properly followed will, more times than not, assure a perfect strike in the pin pocket causing them to crash into and knock each other down.  Without much effort, strength or previous know-how, even a beginner using the lane markings can achieve miraculous scores.
      A couple of life lessons can be garnered from those tiny little helper markings on the bowling lane floor.  First of all you have to know that they are there; you have to know what they mean and how to use them; and you must keep your eyes on them as you approach your ball release position. With the constant racket of balls being thrown, dropped and knocking down pins, the cheers of the bowlers and spectators and even the loud background music playing on the jukebox, all make the environment a very noisy place.  Unlike golfers who need quiet to concentrate (yeah right), bowlers know how to drown out the noise, focus on their task and stay in their lane.  To be successful you must select the right size and weight ball; not cross over the boundary line; keep your eyes on your lane and release (not throw) your ball in alignment with the lane dots and arrows.  The easiest way to miss your mark is to let your mind or eyes get distracted and drift into another lane.  Instead of paying attention to our guidelines which can lead to our own success; we are looking to see what others are doing.  Stay in your lane.  Yes!, the person in the other lane did some fancy moves and got all the pins down; but don’t try to imitate his style. Develop your own style and use what you have to your advantage to be on top of your game.
        God has ordered and ordained your steps (gotten you to the best lane); he has provided you with the tools that you will need (selected the right ball) and has assigned you to a noteworthy course of action (dots and arrows on the lane floor).  All you need to do is follow his instructions. Don’t worry about all the hoopla and noise all around you (distractions) or even the taunting and teasing of those who want to see you fail. Keep your focus on the task at hand; do not deviate to the left or the right. Stay on target and you are assured that you shall make a perfect strike.  See you in the winner’s cycle!

Every day is a good day; it is up to us to make it a GREAT power-packed day!  Be blessed! - Dr. JoAnn
'For audio version...click http://youtu.be/Kir7IcWTeNw

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