FRICTION

I like many of you have been watching the 2014 Winter Olympics this past week. I don't honestly care much about the "sport" of it because I think the Summer Olympics is much more "sporty" if you ask me. Call it what you will but a guy in a jumpsuit with sparkles slinging around a lady dressed the same while on skates and listening to Gordon Lightfoot just doesn't seem "sportish" to me! However, I am intrigued by this thing called Curling!
Curling began in Scotland and basically is shuffleboard on ice. Now I'm not the expert on shuffleboard because the only time I ever witnessed shuffleboard as a kid was on the TV show The Love Boat but my Dad made me turn it off with all the ladies in bathing suits running around and the alcohol being served by Isaac the bartender! Back to what I was saying...I guess the idea to this curling thing is to slide your object which is a large polished piece of granite across the ice and to have it stop in a targeted area for points. The other team then tries to slide their stone across the ice and knock the others off while keeping theirs in the points area. It is really a lot of fun to watch but what really catches my eye is what these teams do. Each team consists of a curler who releases the stone and sweepers. The sweepers job is to use a broom and without touching the stone, cause friction ahead on the ice as it slides towards the points area. The sweepers frantically sweep back in forth at a very fast rate which can cause the stone to slow down, speed up or even change direction.
Friction can cause you and I to do the same. The dictionary defines friction as: the rubbing of one surface body against another. Everyone in this life has to deal with some sort of friction. Truth is that we all have things and even people that rub us the wrong way, there is no way around it! Maybe it's that co-worker or boss that gets under your skin? It could be that neighbor that lets his dog do his deeds in your yard. It could even be that loved one in your family that rubs so much against you that you wish they would move away or just stay away (I'm not mentioning names)! Regardless of who or what it is and knowing that it is just part of our life, what are we then to do? The Bible tells a story about a man named Joseph in Genesis who was betrayed by his own family and left for dead...it was a huge family mess that caused a lot of friction between them all. As the story goes on, Joseph was blessed by God and later was placed face to face with those family members that hurt him so. They were worried about how he would react towards them and I love what Joseph tells them. He says in Genesis 50:20...as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good so that others would be blessed. Joseph didn't allow the friction that ones caused to overshadow what his purpose was.
What a lesson that is for you and I! So let the sweepers come in your life. Let them cause as much friction as they desire because it is our reaction and how we deal with it that ultimately keeps us on track or steers us far away from the target where the Lord wants us to be!
See you @ The River...Pastor John