Joe Gibbs was never one of a favorite football coaches, but he has become one of my favorite people. The Coach is a Christian, and he writes some things worth considering. Here’s an example:
In “Game Plan for Life”, Os Guinness mentions this quote from a 90-year-old Winston Churchill: “Life has been a grand journey—well worth making once.”
Once. That’s all we get. No dry runs. No do-overs. This day you’re living now is not a dress rehearsal or a practice lap. You’re on the stage. You’re in the game. Start playing.
What this kind of thinking does is rip the disguise off today, revealing it to be every bit as momentous as the first morning on a new job or the night before major surgery. There are things to be said. Today. There are people to take notice of. Today. There are ordinary decisions to take seriously. Today. As the Bible says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
The newspaper commits a page or two each morning to dozens of death notices—guys who once supervised a work crew at the auto plant, who once coached boys’ baseball on Saturday afternoons, who once served on the school board or were once active in the Rotary club. Once.
All those one-time daily things that could be said of you in the paper—about your family, your work, your interests, your passions—are they getting your best today? Clock’s ticking down. Better get out there.
Pray this prayer: Dear God, I’ve been letting some things slide. I’ve been going whole weeks without my priorities being in balance. It’s time to get this right. Show me what that means and how to get there.
