Keeping Your Eye On the Prize
by Shakera Reid-Stewart

When I attended my very first college football game several years ago, I was so excited. I only knew the basic gist of the game back then, but nothing too in depth. The Seminoles were playing the Hurricanes and naturally, I was rooting for the Seminoles. I knew which end zone to look to for touchdowns and I knew when to cheer. After the game began, the excitement of watching it rapidly wore off. I felt like I had been waiting forever, but neither of the teams had scored. I then began to find my entertainment elsewhere. Die-hard fans were chanting loudly with there faces painted. People were waving their paraphernalia wildly and were just having the time of their life. It became more interesting "people watching" than actually watching the game.

Shortly after I found my next subject to observe, the crowd went wild. People were standing, screaming and cheering all around me, and you could hear the Seminole's war chant resounding throughout the stadium. It took me a split second to realize that I had missed the first touchdown of the game. It was disappointing because that's what I'd been waiting to see and now I could only celebrate based on something that I'd heard about.

I think that's how it is with Christians. With God, it is a waiting game. In His time He does things in our lives that make all the difference in the world. The only catch is that we wait on Him. We always start off strong, excited, and on fire for the Lord, but then we get distracted. We take our eye off the prize, watching and judging those around us. Always checking out what we're missing outside of our Christian walk. In a moment of weakness, or simply when we let our guard down, we miss it. We miss that special word designed just for us during a service. We miss the solution to the problem that we've been praying about. We miss the opportunity to provide service to someone. Then, we wonder why God didn't show up. Well, he did show up. We're often too busy with the wrong things to receive Him. Unfortunately, there is no instant replay. We've just missed out on our blessing until the next opportunity.

We get so caught up in rituals and rules of religion, or with everyone else's drama that we often miss that intimate connection with God. You don't want to have to just hear about how great God is through other people's testimony. Keep your eye on the prize. Even when you fall short, get right back up and refocus on Him so that He can do great things in your life.

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Shakera Reid was born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in Miramar, Florida. Her passion in life is counseling and educating youth. Hobbies include reading, writing and watching movies. Her hope is to encourage others through her writing and to help them in their Christian walk.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com







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