Are you a Game Changer...

or Are You Just Another Player?

If you know me, you know that as a teenager and young adult, I was an avid softball player. It was a huge part of my life. Later, I had the privilege of coaching young girls who also loved the game. It was a humble feeling watching them thrive in the principles I coached and seeing their talents shine.

It was 30 years ago now, but I can still remember every moment of excitement in the games I played. And with equal pleasure the awesome highlights of the years of coaching those young girls. Those were the moments that made game-changers.

Game changers are moments in which a person or thing dramatically changes the course, strategy, character, etc. of something. Game changers can be books, songs, or even experiences that challenge existing norms and at times introduce groundbreaking ideas. It is easy to see that we are not in control of how one shift, the reading of a book, hearing a song, or meeting a person will ripple through the rest of our lives and the lives of those around us.

It is the last one that I would like you to ponder over. This game changer is specifically about a who. Let me ask you the question again, Are you ready for a game-changer in your relationships? I have your attention, don’t I? This is not about another plan to align friendships or revive a spark in your relationship that you can apply.

Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash

You are thinking right now, this is getting interesting. Where is she going with this? I have been silent for a while because I could not find the avenue for bringing these thoughts to you in a clear manner.

Now don’t be fooled, game changers come, and they change things. That’s their definition. People confronted with a game-changing relationship will not abide by the old rules and unspoken agreements. Priorities are reshuffled and lives are rearranged. They make people do things they never thought they’d do. They can be unpredictable and chaotic to you and the audience within your ripple.

Some may already know; that your current relationships cannot sustain an interaction with a game changer. Maybe our relationships lack flexibility, respect, communication, etc. to be able to accommodate a game changer. That is okay, at least you know.

And yet, we all understand that change is inevitable. You may not be looking for a game changer, maybe you are the game changer. Either way, relationships are not for cowards and there will always be risks we take when we open our hearts.

Photo by Omer Salom on Unsplash

I am going to assume some readers might start to pucker up at my definition and get your undies in a twist. Too many times negative thoughts enter our minds, shutting out positivity. But just wait…let me explain. My silence today has finally found its words. Stay with me for a moment.

Jesus was a game-changer. The way He lived His earthly life was game-changing. Old rules and arguments were replaced with life-inspiring virtues. All of His relationships are still today a game changer. His influence leaves people with new visions for their future. But most especially, His love is a game changer. His love leaves our hearts overflowing and spirits lifted, allowing us to drop the insecurities and falseness of the world’s definition of love. The way Jesus loves sparks controversy. He allows us to lack nothing when we are His.

And yet we find, that this world was not willing to welcome Him, accommodate His wishes, nor allow His rightful position in their world or their lives. He brought revolutionary change that continues to confuse this world. A majority stand, still banging their head on the door of change, unwilling to go through. But when they do, will you be the game changer on the other side and along their way when change finally moves them?

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Game changers are at the forefront holding their passions. Change is the one essential feature of life. Game changers are not afraid of the whispers because they understand the quietness of the moments before the change transformations. They understand that you can cherish the good in what you have now, and also what you build tomorrow. And you can do so without fear because Jesus will be the change.

We are not called to sit idle. You know the greatest Game Changer of all time. He is always in the line up so don’t be a bench warmer. Be ready to embrace the game-changers that come to you. You will know them. It will be like a light has come on. Ripples of understanding wash over your misguided ideas. A new wind in your sail will take you higher than you ever thought you would go.

I pray you will be resilient enough to last through change, flexible enough to accommodate change, and supportive enough to create a foundation that welcomes change for yourself and that you extend that to others.

Now, here is a worship song for you that has been my favorite since this morning. Thank you, Baby Girl for sharing with me!

“Whatever it Takes” by Stephen Stanley