{ DAY 428 }

At the request of a friend comes this post and pictures…

“I can’t believe you did that.  You keep surprising me.” “Hey we better get pictures of this for your blog because no one will believe that you, the fashion blogger, did this.  Strike a pose.”  That was what my mom and dear friend said to me just a few nights before the end of 2013.  Trust me, the bruises all over my legs and my muscles screaming at me every time I moved for the next several days lent credence to my story.  I may or may not have been able to get out of the car the next day without looking like an old person.  Running into the other team was like running into a brick wall.  Last year was a year of stepping outside my comfort zone and will be a theme for the rest of my life.  So when my dear friend looked at me with those big beautiful eyes of hers and begged that I would spontaneously play touch football (for the first time) in the dark how could I say no?  Of course there I was in clothing that was not conducive to mud and such so I was quickly outfitted with a borrowed hoody and shoes and out we went to brave the cold.  We had a grand time and I was constantly asking questions about the game because while I very much enjoy football I like to be the one cheering the others on instead of playing, until now.  I have lots to learn about this game just like I have copious amounts to learn about life.  We stumbled around in the (mostly) dark field, laughed, got hurt, and altogether had a grand time making memories.  Only when you work as a team can you achieve the end goal, literally.  Community is important.  While running around in the dark can be exciting it’s dangerous too.  You can’t see the potholes or that slick patch of grass.  Lights make an incredible difference in how you play the game.  When we have Jesus, the Light, it changes how we play out our lives too.  Not because we need to do better or more but because we are loved.  You are loved.  When I played football and entered into the fun, instead of being worried about doing it perfectly, I did better and the same goes for my life.  If we are always worried about performance instead of just enjoying God we’ve got it all wrong and are doing life for the wrong reasons.  We become unhappy moralists.  Let me say it this way: I become an unhappy moralist when I don’t live life fully enjoying Jesus first and foremost.  Yes, I will fall down, there will be mud, it will get messy, I will get bruises and be sore but if I’m looking to Jesus as the goal then that’s what matters.  If I’m truly in love with Jesus then the other things will work themselves out because my heart will be in the right place.  When Jesus touched down to earth he defeated the team of sin.  The victory has already been won.  Let’s start celebrating like we’ve just taken home the trophy, because we have.  In this game of life we get Jesus.  And that’s everything.

P.S.  Despite how fun football is there is still something in me that feels that running into people at high speeds is always a bad idea.  I think that something are my muscles… 😉