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Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.
Joshua 3:4 NIV
I grew up with a father and four brothers who watched or listened to every football game that a certain team from Texas played. After losing my sports-minded husband, my four boys and I never cared enough to turn the games on.
After all the cultural craziness that’s going on in today’s sports, I don’t even feel badly about not turning it on. But in the spirit of the “season”, I am going to focus on the phrase “game changer“. I realized this phrase can completely relate to our lives and walk with Christ. I have had several pivotal events where I was on a path I had never been before, like the verse says, and only survived by keeping my spiritual eyes on God. These are “game changers“ in my life.
One “game changer“ came when my husband lost his job. After a few months, I ventured out to find a job. I had been spending fifteen years raising my half dozen kids and not keeping up with my resume. The first interview I went to was for a position I figured out very quickly was not for me. I started to cry and wanted to apologize to the nice people for taking up their valuable time. Leaving, I felt like I had no idea where God was going to lead me. Did I have anything to contribute to society? I sat sobbing in my car before driving home.
But for some reason I walked into a local Christian bookstore the next week, believing God was telling me which way to go. I was much more confident when I interviewed this time, even though nothing had changed except my belief that God was leading me there. And I got the job.
I fought God so hard, even though I KNEW He had provided this job. The downside was, I was working for minimum wage and no benefits. The upside? We started the day with prayer. Christian music played all day long. I worked with the most encouraging people. It was like a little cocoon, of sorts, that God kept me in. And I learned that it wasn’t even about the money with God. He just needed to change some things in my heart.
The next “game changer“ came when my husband passed away over Christmas break. “Lord,” I said, “I don’t know what to do!” But like before, God carefully led me where He wanted me to be.
After a month off, I returned to work at the bookstore since my kids were in school and the youngest was still in our church’s preschool program several days a week. What a blessing to return to that environment of the cocoon! The Christian music, the daily prayer time, and the encouraging workers were just what I needed as I dealt with all the changes in my life.
But that was only for a short season. It served its purpose, and then God led me back home again, helping my oldest with graduation and college decisions.
What are some “game changers“ that you have experienced recently in your life? We all can relate to the widow “game changer“, but are there other ones that you have had to deal with within that new status? I encourage you, when you don’t know which way to go, to look to Christ.
You know those plays in football where the guy catches the ball and gets hit mid-air from the opposite direction? That’s what “game changers“ feel like sometimes. They can knock the breath right out of you. But God blows His breath into our lives and gets us back on our feet again. We grab ahold of His strong hand and keep going on the path He leads us to.
Father God, it is hard to be thankful for the game changers in our lives because they often hurt and knock us around. Give us quiet moments to reflect on Your care during our new directions. And help us to see Your guiding hand in our lives today. Amen