Black Monday

This past Monday was "Black Monday" in the National Football League, and this wasn't a sequel to the holiday "Black Friday" sales from late November. 7 head coaches and their, I don't know, 15 person staffs (minimum) were told to seek new forms of employment after not winning enough football games. Some had worked for a team for only 2 years (Cleveland's Pat Shurmur) but some had worked for a team for 10+ years (Philly's Andy Reid, Chicago's Lovie Smith).


It's just an unfortunate part of that industry and while I think it's sad, it reveals to me a pattern of thought that exists in my life, and our society as a whole:
"What have you done for me lately?"
At some point those teams thought "You're skills are what we need. Here's millions of dollars, will you bring us a trophy?" And while it took different periods of time, the eventual response was uniform: "you're fired."

 My opinion is that we all have different things in our life like those coaches. At one point, we looked at that team, shirt, car, person or activity and said "You're it" and then in a manner of time, found that to be unsatisfying and concluded similarly, "you're fired." Then continues the cycle of new job, car, friend, hobby and ensuing shopping trip to find the "new one." (I can elaborate so clearly because these are my issues)

This afternoon, I was reading the book of Jonah. If this isn't the craziest story you'll ever read in your lifetime, contact me, I'd love to hear something more outrageous. If you have forgotten or didn't attend Sunday School as a child, Jonah, the less than impressive main character, runs from God, is thrown in the sea, is swallowed by a massive fish and is spit onto the ground. And the story gets better from there but I'll let you read it. 
But my point is that Jonah was in the middle of finding what made him happy. As a believer, I believe and have experienced that the most joyful and satisfying life possible is in obedience to God. Jonah supports this perspective and shares the two ways this comes about:
1. by life's circumstances pointing to a greater hope, a forced transition
2. or by experiencing that God alone can satisfy, an unforced transition

See, Jonah fell through the water after being thrown overboard by his comrades (verse 3) and he then knew he made the wrong decision. His choices led to this unsatisfactory position, the same way we all can end up distraught when circumstances are unsatisfying. I'm the same way. When I buy a Braum's vanilla mix with butterfinger in it, I hope for resolution from a tough day. Sometimes it works, but more often, I still have the problem I had pre-butterfinger mix. I'm forced to look for something else to satisfy me.

Jonah, in all of his mess, points to one of the greatest truths in life, a solution to the mess of what will satisfy and he says it very plainly in verse 8:
"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."
I don't read interpret anything unreasonable from this text other than the truth that when I cling to these things, people, free time and status, I forfeit the grace, the unmerited gift that could be mine: satisfaction in God.
As your thinking about the new year, please join in me resolving to eat better, read more, spend less and be a better person. But most importantly, try to understand with me that no matter how many things you accomplish, it's only God, His love and salvation that can please us.
Happy New Year!

Also, here's a picture of my adorable niece Anistyn with her new pink jumprope. Such a sweet babe