One of the frequent blessings of being on Facebook is to read and then ponder for awhile the devotionals shared there by Stan Parker, co-founder and co-Director of Mission Nebraska. I asked Stan if I could re-print this one, an illuminating and memorable reflection on Hebrews 4:13 that emerges from Stan's days as a standout football player for the the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers. I think you'll like it, quite possibly enough to ask to be his Facebook friend too!"And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." -- Hebrews 4:13
When I played football at Nebraska, there was a video camera way up at the top of the stadium and that camera capture EACH AND EVERY play we ran the entire practice! Every one! Every day!
The slightest pre-snap twitch that would have been penalized during an actual game was captured on tape! We all knew it!
"The eye in the sky doesn't lie!"...we used to say when someone was not owning up to a mistake made they made! You see we also knew that the next day during team meetings that very same video was going to be played back, and we were going to be held accountable for every misstep and every blown assignment! Needless to say, that one reality profoundly effected the way each and every player approached a practice!
The soberness...
The intentionality...
The preparation...
The determination...
We made every effort to run each and every play right! No plays were "taken off" by any of us!
It also made us quick to own up to it when we did make a mistake! Even if the coach didn't seem to have caught it "live", we would often bring it to light ourselves, owning it and receiving real time correction! The meeting the next day went FAR better when we did! The tape still got run, but my mistake didn't get replayed over and over and no comment was made on it. It was as if it had never happened!
What a perfect picture and a powerful parallel this provided for me today while reflecting on Hebrews 4:13! Every day, every thought, word and deed... seen and CAPTURED by God, our heavenly Coach!
To live conscious of this reality is to live differently!
