Weekly e-News August 12
Hey, everyone!
Hope you're having an awesome day and I hope this Olympic fever is super encouraging you to just "go for the gold" today! When you stand on the podium and hear…
Wait a minute.
I need to start over.
I'm not so sure that "Go for the Gold", "Be Numero Uno!", "Be the best in the world at what you do!" way of thinking is any way to have an awesome day!
It could be a really quick way to give yourself a yucky day!
I noticed this while watching the women's gymnastics from the Olympics. They are so amazing, unbelievable, graceful…
Until they're not!
One Olympic hopeful was going to do the "run-down-the-runway-jump-on-the-jumping-board-do-a-handspring-upsidedown-off-the-cushiony-thing-flip-a-bunch-of-times-twist-also-and-land-bam!-right-on-her-feet" event. She’s done it a kabillion times…
So, here it is!
We're tense but pumped to witness this amazing moment.
She breathes…
She runs…
She jumps on the jumping board!
She's upside down on the cushiony thing!
She's flying thru the air!
She's really flipping into a blur now!
She's coming in for her landing…
Bam!
And then another BAM!!
Opps.
Before the watching world, she had two landings. One was kinda on her feet. The second was when she landed (with feet almost over her head) on her…I better not say it, but it rhymes with the last word in the phrase, "Yes, dear, but…"
So, what happened?
Well, f'r one thing…
She was trying to do something really difficult and incredibly graceful in front of the watching world. And, as I said, it was.
Until it wasn't!
And when it wasn't, it REALLY wasn’t!
And she was trying to win the gold medal!
To be the best in the world!
THIS had been her goal everyday for four years!
Wow! That’s a TON of pressure to put on yourself!
“I think I can! I know I can! I CAN do this! I CAN!!”
Then, WHAMMO! she’s sitting there on her can.
I have a goal I try to remember every day.
My goal isn't winning anything. My goal is simply to please the heart of my King.
Like at Triple C on Sundays or when I go to teach my classes at the prison on Tuesdays…
I have my goals.
My goal is to encourage everyone.
I want to help everyone go home with joy in their hearts.
I try to do my job well.
I want to do my best.
But I’m not trying to win anything!
I’m not trying to win the gold!
I’m not trying to win a medal!
I just want to win His smile!
Every day I try to remember these simple things…
“My time is today” (this is the only day I need to think about)
“My fight is for joy”…
“My strength is weakness”…
“My job is to serve everyone”…
And…
“My goal is to please Him”…
I love how our athletes with their gold medals watch tearfully as our star-spangled anthem is played!
But when it's all over, I'd rather have a gold crown given by my Savior, instead of a gold medal given by some judge.
And I'd rather hear, "Well done!"