What We Deserve

     A couple of Sundays ago, I went to the morning student mass at the Benedictine College Abbey. The priest of the mass, Father Justin, gave a very wonderful homily. The biggest thing that caught my attention was when he was talking about the Christmas season in his childhood. I recall he talked about receiving gifts from Santa that he "didn't deserve". I'm sure that all of us received gifts from a very generous Santa when a more suitable gift would be coal. An important life lessons I have learned through my experiences: 90 percent of the time, we as people will not deserve what life presents us.
     Let's take a minute to reflect on some things we may have deserved in our lives. We may have worked hard to deserve that A-grade in a particular class. We may have worked hard in the off-season and deserved a starting position in a sport we play. Maybe all of the hard work you put into a job, whether an occupation or a task, cause you to deserve your handsome reward. Now what about what about the things we have that maybe we don't deserve? Did the old lady you know deserve to have her house robbed? Did people like Garrett Uekman or RJ Demps deserve to have their life cut short at such a young age?
     One of my favorite athletes is Tim Tebow. Despite the fact that this may be an extremely unorthodox player in his throwing form and running ability, I love his desire to win and his humility in putting God and his team to be recognized rather than glorify his own abilities. In spite of all his efforts to do what is right, he still receives criticisms for what he may or may not do, while other athletes who do not have good character or standards of winning receive much less criticism. Does Mr. Tebow really deserve such opposition? Don't the athletes who degrade sports deserve a much larger criticism or punishment for their actions?
      Yes, we do face things that do not seem suitable of what may be "deserved", but it isn't always a bad thing. I know on a personal level that throughout my twenty years of living, some of my actions throughout that time were less than intelligent, and I would say those were times I did not deserve to live in this house. Fortunately, my parents were forgiving to me, regardless of what I may or may not have deserved at the time.
     Let's take a look in the Bible at some examples. First: the prodigal son. He leaves his father's work early and spends it on luxury and pleasure. After he went broke and famine struck, he desperately returned to his father's home. Rather than sending him away, the father not only welcomed him, but threw a party for his homecoming. How many of us if we were the father think he deserved a homecoming celebration as such? Secondly, look at Jesus. Here's a man whose actions were only to help everyone whether by healing the sick or teaching about God. What happens? Those same people demanded he be put to death on a cross. I have a very good feeling that I may be right when I say that Jesus did not deserve anything like this. At the same time, Jesus died to save us from our sins. Do any of us really think we have earned God's forgiveness through our actions? I know I haven't, and I'm pretty certain almost all of you will agree.
     God gave us Jesus so that He could die for our sins. God loves us, no matter what we may deserve. Take some time to reflect in your life everything you have in your life - family, education, a home. Consider what you have earned in your life. Thank God for the opportunity to earn everything you would say you deserve, no matter how big or small. Then thank God for what we may be blessed to have in our life. So before you complain about what happens in your life, consider what you have in your life. You have more blessings than you think.

Keep your eyes on the prize

     I went to the BC men's and women's basketball games last night as they took on Graceland University. Kudos to the women for getting revenge from last year's HAAC playoffs, and to the men for winning in overtime. As I was watching the game, the "coaching bone" became active in me. I wanted all of the BC possessions to result in points, so when we didn't score, I was expressing disappointment that we didn't get points. My friend sitting next to me pointed out that not every offensive possession was going to result in a score (as a football coach, I certainly realize this in my own game). I responded "just because you won't score every time doesn't mean you don't aim to score every time you get the ball."
     Every time our offense gets the ball in the football games, I have the belief that "these guys are going to march to the end zone and score." And realistically, I know that we will not score every time. But if our team had the mentality that we would only score some of the time, it wouldn't surprise me if we didn't score at all in a game. The first thing our offense does before going on the field is tell each other "Let's go score!". The same holds true for all of us in life.
When we do something in life, we have some kind of goal when we set out to do whatever it is. Sometimes the goal may be set by others, other times we set the goal ourselves. When we go to school, our goals may be to get a degree and make lifelong friends. We play a game to be better at that game, and to win. We go to church to make stronger our faith (I hope you don't think it's because you have to).
When you set out to accomplish something from now on, make a conscious effort to know what your goal is. In order to succeed, we have to keep your eyes on the prize. If you don't know why you are doing something, or why you are somewhere, or why you work at some place, maybe it's time to re-assess and self-reflect. On a closing. Ote, set your goals high, because no one rises to low expectations.

Thanks to you all...

    As I reflect on what I have to be thankful for in life, the thing that is big on my heart is the loss of fellow Catholic High Rocket Garrett Uekman. It is far too unfortunate to see a great young man at 19 years old pass away, no matter in what way. Particularly, it is difficult to see such a high quality young man go who was truly an inspiration to so many people.
     At my Thanksgiving lunch with my mom's side of the family, my grandfather settled us down and told us to tell everyone else what we are thankful for. At that time, and for so much of this trip home, I have been most thankful for the opportunity to come back home and say 'thank you' to all of the people that have helped me arrive at where I am today, and who are going to be a big part of wherever life takes me from here.
     I'm thankful for my family - Mom, Dad, siblings, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, all of them. If it were not for their great guidance, wisdom, and teaching, I would not be the person I am today by any means. In fact, I'm certain I would be someone that I would NOT want to be. I'm thankful for the foundation that Catholic High has made me to build upon. The teachers, staff, and coaches (and in particular, Coach Estes) have all left a huge impression that I will carry in my life as I prepare to become a teacher and coach of my own.
     I'm thankful for Benedictine College. The school, its president and staff, and so many other great things are wonderful factors my life.  The opportunity to work with one of the best football coaching staffs in the nation is something that I would not find anywhere else, and what a great experience it has been! I'm thankful for Coach Fran and his leadership in FCA to help me in keeping my faith and helping me to grow in it. I'm thankful for all of my wonderful friendships I have made at BC, Catholic, and anywhere else I have been in my life. I'm also thankful for all of the wonderful friends, times, and kids that I have encountered at Lake Nixon.
     Lastly, I'm thankful that God has presented all of these things in my life. There is so much that perhaps all of us are trying to deal with in life. We all have our joys in our lives, and we all have pains in our lives. No, we don't know why God seems to let bad things occur, especially those that happen to good people. We as people have to trust him. He has a plan for us all, and if we trust Him and follow Him, He will reward us with something great.