Stint on the Sideline

When my dad lived in Michigan as a teen, he suffered a broken femur during a game of "king of the hill" in the snow.  The object of the game was to stand on a heap of snow and fend off everyone else who wrestled their way to the top.  People teamed up to overthrow the present "king," and when my dad fell in a tumble of bodies his leg snapped near his hip.  Because of the location of the break, he was hospitalised and in traction for nearly two months as his bone mended.

Though an injury sidelined my dad, he came out of hospital much stronger than he went in.  There wasn't much to do with his whole leg in a plaster cast suspended in the air, but he discovered he could do pull-ups on the traction equipment.  He missed out on playing and working for months because of the leg break, yet his focus was not on what happened or that he wasn't able to be where he wanted to be:  he put in hard work through exercise because of where he was heading.  When he walked back into class the following year, he looked like a different person and ready to take on anyone.

This is a good illustration for those who feel like they have been sidelined from what was enjoyable, and it wasn't your choice.  It could be through an injury, condition, having a baby, moving house, being let go from a job, or the breakdown of a close personal relationship.  It is easy when things happen that were never our choice to lose heart, to focus on who broke our leg or ruined our lives, to fixate on what has happened rather than where we are and where we are heading.  For Christians, we realise God is with us and He is able to redeem for good what others intended for evil.  So you have been sidelined from where you want to be:  how about exerting yourself to gain strength, endurance and joy as you seek the LORD and do what you can to be ready for the next season?  When God opens the door, He will be faithful to help us walk through it--and walking means work.

Christians can learn from the diligence and dedication of athletes who suffer a serious injury, miss an entire season and work their way back to the field; we can glean wisdom from those who toil for years in lower levels of professional sport who never make it to the big leagues.  Some of these go on to coach, manage, to work in scouting and the front office.  They were waiting for their "big break" that never came the way they expected, but the LORD used their time in dusty dugouts to be part of a team in another way.  Joseph did not go to Egypt to seek fame, wealth and power:  he was sold as a slave and taken there.  He was made to serve in a rich man's house, and after he was thrown into prison he took the lead in looking after other prisoners.  In suffering his relationship with God deepened, and the LORD orchestrated an opportunity for Joseph to exercise God-given wisdom to interpret dreams.  In time he was brought before Pharaoh, was promoted to second in command, saved nations from starvation and was reunited with his family where there was food to spare.

How different Joseph's story would be if he brooded over the wrongs done him, shirked his responsibilities as a slave and rebelled against God!  Joseph did not set his sights on where he was or even where he wanted to be but looked to the LORD.  He never aspired to govern or rule in Egypt.  The one thing he wanted was to be released from prison, and in time by God's grace he was.  As a slave and in the prison Joseph continued to develop godly character, and he was useful wherever God opened a door.  So you're in traction or on the sidelines; you've been sacked and feel like your feet have been taken out from under you.  I encourage you to look to the LORD and exert yourself to seek, serve and praise Him right where you are.  Maybe pull-ups are the only thing you can do in your hospital bed, or perhaps all you can do is spiritually exercise in prayer.  But know that there is a season God has for you beyond that hospital bed, and God often provides opportunity in that bed to prepare for it.