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I was listening to the the testimony of Larry Elder who is a conservative black public speaker and thought leader. He was telling the story of how he did not speak to his father for over 10 years because of the anger he held for the manner in which he and his brothers were raised. When he was 28 years old, he decided to speak to his father and "set the record straight". That was when he found out that his last name was something that was made up because his father never even knew his own father. He found out his father held down three jobs so he could have a roof over his head and a bed in which to sleep. He found out the number of obstacles placed in his father's path as a black man in the Jim Crow era and that he had ZERO grounds from which to hate this man he never knew.
Larry said he asked his father why he never shared any of this with him and his brothers. To this his father replied, "You can't control the outcome of what happens to you in your life, you can only control the effort." His father was living proof that hard work pays off and that if you focus on the adversity or the trials and tribulations then you will forever be a victim of your circumstances.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5. Likewise, we are not to question the outcomes of our faith. We are to focus on the path and how to walk it the means and manner which God instructs us. We will face obstacles, hardships and we are to trust in the Lord and not wallow in the victim mentality which is what the enemy puts in front of us.
I preach on the field all the time that we can only control what we can control. Penalties, turnovers, blocking assignments, blocking aim points, tackling basic (like wrapping up and driving through), snap count, etc. These are the aspects and elements of the game which require our effort and are within our control. We master these through hard work, attention to detail and preparing ourselves drill after drill after drill.
Larry's father embraced his circumstances, controlled what he could control and was able to not only lift himself out of poverty but blaze a path for this sons. If you want a better outcome, start concentrating on what you can do to effect the outcome and stop focusing on your current circumstances. This does not mean the outcomes will always turn out the way we think they should; however, I can't tell you the number of times I have thanked God for unanswered prayers.
