A couple of days ago I watched my son at ice skating lessons at Sunset Community Centre. For the first time they put a hockey stick in his hands while he was on the ice. This accelerated his skating skills. It was as if having a purpose and a goal provided new motivation and an unconciousness about himself. He began to skate without thinking. His thinking was on the goal: get the puck between the cones and past my teacher’s feet. The whole class of beginners improved. It was a great lesson.
I sometimes lose sight of the goal, miss my purpose, and discover that living life as a follower of Jesus seems terribly ackward when I am overly self-conscious. I slip and fall easily. Over and over Jesus drew His disciples back to Himself and His purposes: “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:31-33)
