#12: Talkin' about Practice

OK, I admit it: Part of my reason for doing this post is to have an excuse to use one of my favorite sports sound bytes ever (I'll link the video later). We have talked in the recent past about the process of receiving truth, using receivers in football as a metaphor to illustrate what we must do. We talked about getting open (removing unnecessary activities from our lives), actively receiving by going back to the ball and putting our hands out (seeking truth and gravitating toward it), snatching the ball out of the air and securing it (laying hold on the truth and understanding it), protecting the ball (writing things down, owning good books, etc.), and running with the ball once it it secure and protected (applying truth in our lives). All of these things that good receivers do apply to us as we strive to be receivers of truth.

We neglected, however, to mention one final point that is key to becoming a great receiver-- Practice. Picture the following: A young man shows up at a high school football tryout. The coach asks him what position he wants to try out for, to which he responds, "I'm a receiver." The coach tells him to line up with the others that are trying out for receiver. When his turn comes, he does all the things listed above, after which he takes off his helmet and begins to walk off the field. When the coach asks where he is going, he says, "I did everything I was supposed to do. I'm a receiver. Now I'm done. I never have to do it again."

Of course, such a young man is not a receiver; he is merely a young man who happened to catch a pass once. So it is with us; if we want to be true receivers of truth, we must repeat the process over and over and over again. Like most receivers, we probably won't be great at first. We will fail often, but we mustn't get discouraged. Over time, and with a lot of practice, we will be able to hone our skills and become excellent receivers--the kinds of receivers that a quarterback (in our metaphor, the Source of truth) can depend on.

Now here is a link to the video clip. Just remember that the attitude displayed by Allen Iverson is the exact opposite of what our attitude about practice should be. I only hope that by hearing him repeat the word practice many times over you will remember the ideas expressed above when you thing about the concepts of practice and receiving truth. Best wishes.