Wednesday, December 9, 2009

The Off-Season

Well, as many of you might know, my football season is over. I did my best this year, nothing wrong with that. I'm not going to lie though, I miss it. There is something missing from my life from 3 until 7 every day.

It is weird though, as at this point, I think, wow, I have so much more time to get stuff done. But that time fills up, and I have not really seen the advantage of putting different projects or trips to the store or games of pick up basketball in that time slot. Honestly, I can't replace football.

Now, you might not care about my problems with finding a way to get to the next football season. You might not even care about football. But I want you to think about your life with God. Yup, God and football relate. Now you don't have to pray for four hours a day, I think God would even say that that is a little much. But, imagine your life without God, or if your life does not include God, think about where he would fit in it.

Taking God out of your life is like taking away your foundation. Sure, worries, anxieties, and stress are all part of life, but for me, they stop with God's grace. My belief that he knows what is best for me allows me to hedge some of those worries, and put them on the back burner so I can focus on getting my work done. Without God in my life, those worries would overtake me, paralyze me, and inhibit anything I am trying to get done. You don't normally think of it this way, but without God, there really isn't any fun or real happiness. You can trace your good times to God much of the time, as believing in him helps you relax, even if you have a lot on your plate.

You might be one of those people who are currently without a constant reminder of God in your life. Put Him there. Put Him next to you. Think about Him and what He wants, which is always the best for you. You may need to take some time out of your day to get that influence in there, but it is worth it. All you have to do is pick up a Bible, a prayer book, or go to Church, then go from there. People make a lot of bad commitments in their lives, God is something you can to commit to and that you will never regret.

I say all of this in light of the Christmas season. The Angel said that Jesus would be named "Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us." Talk about divine intervention, would you want anything else? Sure a Nintendo Wii is a nice gift, but how about God for Christmas? If He is already in your life, do not take Him for granted, and if possible, make Him a bigger part of it. If He is missing, now is not a better time to fit Him into your life. See Him as a baby, and take the journey with him. God sent that baby, to save us, and be with us every step of the way.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Busy Day...

Tough day for this one...two tests this afternoon. So I will be back with a new post tomorrow, see you then.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Happy Advent

Well it is here. What, you did not see it coming? Amidst stories in the news like Tiger Woods being the next sports hero to bite the dust, another Notre Dame coach getting fired, and the fresh story of Barack Obama sending 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, Advent came this past weekend. I think our preparation time for Christmas could not have come at a better time. It looks like we might need a distraction from the distractions, and I'm pretty sure this season needs to be the answer.

It starts with the Gospel from this past week, and one quote from the Lord Jesus sticks out, especially for the college kids out there.

"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life..."

Well, that's college in a nutshell: partying and exams. Ask any college kid of what they've thought about the most the past few weeks, and those two things will probably be extremely high on the totem pole. Yet, Jesus tells us to not fall in that thought process. This is the best time to cast those thoughts aside. Sure, you have to do well, but if you work hard, what is there to be anxious about? When you look back in twenty years are you going to remember one test you did not do well on?

God is telling us to relax. It's amazing how the Bible shows us just how timeless it is. It is the start of Advent, and the start of finals week, but God wants us to be able to take time out to focus our hearts on what is truly important. That is being a better person and getting closer to God, in preparation for his Birth.

We all know it is so difficult to focus in this day and age, with instant gratification often at our fingertips. Look at any of the biggest sports figures, as Tiger Woods' lapse in morality is just another blip on the radar, it can be tough when you have to look deep into the crevices of any political or sports roster and find someone who has an actual clean record.

That loss of focus is with us as well. Yet, the Catholic church needs you. Even the priest at my home parish said that enthusiasm is lacking as a whole. You can just feel the down feeling over the course of the Mass. New churches, that serve pizza and are apparently more "entertaining," are taking lifelong parishioners away. The things is, Catholicism is not about being entertained. I've said many times before, you are always not going to leave with a great feeling, you might feel like you got slapped in the face. But, you are better because of it. All God wants is enthusiasm and faithfulness, why not bring it for an hour every week? It's Advent, so maybe it is time to start over and become more dedicated to what is really important. The Gospel's message becomes more evident here doesn't it? Church is not for carousing, you know that.

So, get a fresh start. Get your homework, projects, and studying done, and come down to Muller Chapel or just your favorite quiet spot for awhile. Spend some time every single day to think about what Jesus brought to us the day he was born. I think of hope for a better future. With that thought, why not let the enthusiasm flow? Just make sure to keep the main thing, the main thing.