Playing Our Position

In sports and in life, we sometimes wonder why our Coach plays us in positions we do not think we should be playing.  We think we are really great at a certain position, and we convince ourselves it’s the only spot for us.  Our Coach’s game plan, though, may place us in a very different position, one that we aren’t accustomed to, and one that makes us wonder what in the world we’re doing there.  But in sports and in life, the game plan places us there for many reasons.

Just yesterday, I lost a little girl very close to me.  In my mind and many others, she was taken from this world way too soon.  Even though she was only on earth 3 short years, she played her “position” in life to the fullest, teaching everyone that came in contact with her endless valuable lessons about faith, hope, love, and now loss.   We wonder why she was made to “play that position”, because as sweet as she was, another “position” in life could have suited her, too.  She and her family understand, being of Christian faith with God being her coach, she played that difficult position for a reason.  She’s the only one that could fulfill the need, she’s the only one that could complete the tasks, and she played her part on life’s team the way God intended.  She did it without grumbling, most of the time.

Being a team player means taking whatever role is handed to us, learning it to the best of our ability, and delivering results.  We may not always like it, we may not always agree we should have that job, but if we give it a chance, we will realize the ultimate game plan is much bigger and better than we ever dreamed.  Someday, we may look back and realize our position assigned to us truly was the best thing for us and the team.  Follow the ultimate game plan, and not just the one you’ve laid out in your own mind.  Be open to change, try different positions, and play for the team, not only yourself.  Doing this will help you find the purpose behind your position.

 ‘The meaning of life is to find your gift.

The purpose of life is to give it away.’

Pablo Picasso —