I recently finished listening to The Operator by Rob O'Neill, a former DEVGRU SEAL Operator. As I've listened to him share about his time as an elite warrior, something stood out to me that I've heard in at least one of the other books by a SEAL that I've listened to, the swim buddy. Different branches of the military refer to this by a different name, I read one book written by an Army Ranger, and they used the term "Ranger buddy", but the concept is the same. This is the person that has your back no matter what. They push you through training, they stand with you in battle. Your swim buddy is who you trust with your life, and who trusts you with their's. We all need a swim buddy.
We weren't made to do life alone. In the very beginning, God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." (Genesis 2.18b) God then makes woman, and the two become one. Marriage is God ordained, and it is a good thing. But marriage is not the only relationship a man needs; a man needs other men. A man needs a swim buddy. A man needs another man, or a group of other men, who will challenge him in ways only other men can, who call him to be a man, and bestow masculinity upon him. He can't get this from a woman, not even his wife. A man needs other men.
You stick with your swim buddy at all times. You succeed together, and you fail together. You fight side by side, and if one goes down, the other carries him off of the battlefield to help. You never leave your swim buddy.
Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs, Mark 6.7a, "And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs", and the Old Testament says, "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." (Ecclesiastes 4.9-12) We weren't meant to live life alone. We were made for relationships, and within those relationships, we need a swim buddy.
Back when we were in college, Aaron used to tell me all the time "I've got your back." At the time it just sounded cool, but as I've thought about it since then, I realize what he was saying, "I'm with you no matter what. If things get crazy, I'm right behind you and we'll make it through the chaos together." Aaron and I have a weird relationship. We never really did a whole lot, pretty much just lifted weights and hung out with the same group of friends, but he's one of the first two people I talk to when something is happening. When I found out about both of my girls, I called him first. When my marriage began to fall apart, he was who I reached out to. Aaron has been my swim buddy for nearly 13 years.
Asking for help and admitting need has never been easy for me, even with Aaron, but I've started to realize that it's ok to need help. Aaron has shown me over more than a decade that he isn't going anywhere. He told me years ago, "I've got your back", and he always has. I've got to learn to lean on my swim buddy. I've got to learn to be more open and vulnerable with him, he's shown me that I can trust him and count on him; he's proven to be swim buddy of the highest caliber.
God made us to do life together. Pray for Him to reveal your swim buddy, and when He does, be a worthy swim buddy.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Monday, January 29, 2018
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Life Verse, by Will
My entire life I've heard people talk about their life verse; I've personally had at least four.
Psalm 23
Psalm 62.5-8
Philippians 3.7-14
Proverbs 3.5-8
These are the only ones that immediately come to my mind, but I'm sure there are more that I've claimed at one point or another.
From what I've gathered over my thirty years in Church, life verses tend to be those that make people feel good or encouraged. They tend to be verses that remind people of a promise God has made, or point to hope for the future. In no way are these things bad. The Bible is a book of theology that tells us who God is. It provides us with a clear view of the nature and character of God, including the promises He has made. It offers hope and encouragement to those who who faithfully obey God, and seek to live according to His will. Specific verses speak to certain people in unique ways; they impact people differently because we are all individuals.
Over the past year, I've really been focused on identity. As I've felt God's leading towards my identity, I've felt the need to find a Scriptural foundation for this identity. Initially, the verse was just something that connected who I feel God is leading me to be to the Bible; however, I've begun to really search this portion of Scripture for what it says about the identity God has given me. This has led me to rethink the concept of a life verse. All of the observations I mentioned are good things, but I feel like a life verse is bigger than each of those.
I feel that a life verse should be a verse that defines your life. This verse is what guides how you seek to live, gives a foundation for how you interpret the rest of the Bible, and relate to God and people. A life verse, as I have come to see it, is a verse that gives definition and focus to your life. I believe that a life verse calls you to be something more than you are. I believe it calls you to grow and develop, to take action and claim who God says you are, and that it points you towards your life mission.
For me, I've started to focus on 1 Peter 5.1-11. In the future, I'll be working through this on my personal blog (click on my picture to the right and it will take you there). This section of Scripture points to who I feel God is telling me I am, and gives me a clear model of what that identity entails. A life verse matters because it doesn't simply offer encouragement, or point to some promise that we grasp as entitlement, it sets a tone for how we will live, and gives a foundation for who we are.
I truly believe that God has a clear identity for each of you, read Revelation 2.17. I just as firmly believe that this identity has a Scriptural foundation that will not only affirm your identity, but lay out the different characteristics that your identity entails.
God is calling you to be who He created you to be, and He hasn't left you with nothing to go on. Your God given identity is rooted in Scripture, and that passage will show you what it means to own your identity. Your life verse will challenge you, and call out who you really are.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Psalm 23
Psalm 62.5-8
Philippians 3.7-14
Proverbs 3.5-8
These are the only ones that immediately come to my mind, but I'm sure there are more that I've claimed at one point or another.
From what I've gathered over my thirty years in Church, life verses tend to be those that make people feel good or encouraged. They tend to be verses that remind people of a promise God has made, or point to hope for the future. In no way are these things bad. The Bible is a book of theology that tells us who God is. It provides us with a clear view of the nature and character of God, including the promises He has made. It offers hope and encouragement to those who who faithfully obey God, and seek to live according to His will. Specific verses speak to certain people in unique ways; they impact people differently because we are all individuals.
Over the past year, I've really been focused on identity. As I've felt God's leading towards my identity, I've felt the need to find a Scriptural foundation for this identity. Initially, the verse was just something that connected who I feel God is leading me to be to the Bible; however, I've begun to really search this portion of Scripture for what it says about the identity God has given me. This has led me to rethink the concept of a life verse. All of the observations I mentioned are good things, but I feel like a life verse is bigger than each of those.
I feel that a life verse should be a verse that defines your life. This verse is what guides how you seek to live, gives a foundation for how you interpret the rest of the Bible, and relate to God and people. A life verse, as I have come to see it, is a verse that gives definition and focus to your life. I believe that a life verse calls you to be something more than you are. I believe it calls you to grow and develop, to take action and claim who God says you are, and that it points you towards your life mission.
For me, I've started to focus on 1 Peter 5.1-11. In the future, I'll be working through this on my personal blog (click on my picture to the right and it will take you there). This section of Scripture points to who I feel God is telling me I am, and gives me a clear model of what that identity entails. A life verse matters because it doesn't simply offer encouragement, or point to some promise that we grasp as entitlement, it sets a tone for how we will live, and gives a foundation for who we are.
I truly believe that God has a clear identity for each of you, read Revelation 2.17. I just as firmly believe that this identity has a Scriptural foundation that will not only affirm your identity, but lay out the different characteristics that your identity entails.
God is calling you to be who He created you to be, and He hasn't left you with nothing to go on. Your God given identity is rooted in Scripture, and that passage will show you what it means to own your identity. Your life verse will challenge you, and call out who you really are.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)