The gospel is truly given to set us free.

And today, I found yet another reason as we sat and talked about mental health as a group of coaches.

Why are we seemingly dealing with this MORE today than at any time in history?  Why is it a bigger deal now than it was 10 or 20 or 30 years ago?  What can we do for these amazing kids that we get to coach?

As we sat and discussed, I simply had no answers.  But my reality is simple:  When I have NO answers it pushes me to turn to THE Answer.  And, He, is THE Answer.

As I reflected, I was drawn to what Paul said and so I looked it up and found it in Romans 7.

Romans 7  14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 

17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Paul was VERY, VERY intelligent.  A politician and a lawyer who discovered Jesus—Paul underwent a transformation of Biblical proportions.  And he wrote this God-inspired verse for us on this very day.

This verse is not an excuse for us to live at the lowest common denominator.

It isn’t an accusation to put us into a guilt-inspired tailspin.

And it isn’t a “Well, why would I try anything then if I can’t succeed at any of it?” verse.

Paul is letting us all know the reality of our situation:

  1.  We aren’t the center of the world or the universe
  2.  We aren’t the most important person at our company, or in our family, or on our team
  3.  We aren’t the superstar NFL player that crowds gather to see … and those NFL guys aren’t either.

We ARE broken, and we fall short, and we are full of things that make us broken.  It is PART of us.  And even in that state, we don’t even see most of the things that others could point out to us without hesitation.

We are broken and we fall short of the Glory of God.  Period.

And this can’t be fixed by self help guru, a pill, money, or an enormous amount of work.

It CAN ONLY BE FIXED by Jesus.

It CAN ONLY BE FIXED by our confession that we “don’t measure up”.

It CAN ONLY BE FIXED by a Father who loves us too much to leave us the way we are.

Thank You so much Jesus

When I arose today, I felt so much that was heavy in front of me

And I thought of that quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us”

If by “what lies within us” he meant Jesus–Amen.

And if he didn’t–I could not disagree with him more.

We are sitting ducks for Hell without Jesus Christ and what He did not the cross.

Gavel Down.  End of story.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J