Living All In — Wholeheartedly
More than likely, most of us have taken an exam or test that we passed it by the skin of our teeth. Or we finished that project but it certainly wasn’t to the top-notch standard that we could take pride in. It shows by our half-hearted attitude. It was just good enough. But a just enough attitude just isn’t enough.
I love the wins that come in a clutch situation. The game that the teams are tied up and then our team emerges at the last minute. The hard fought ones that at the last minute the game turned around in our favor. My grandson has had plenty of those games – nail biter, cheering till we’re hoarse games.
One of my all time favorite movies is “Facing the Giants”. I remember when the Shiloh Eagles football team hadn’t won a game in over six years. They were a half-hearted and stinking-thinking team. Now it was a new season, and they had already lost their first three games.
Coach Grant Taylor, who was half-hearted in his coaching and in his marriage, had a personal encounter with God after staying up one night praying and studying scripture that gave him a new coaching and life philosophy. He influenced his players to give far greater effort and told them that they could win with a whole-hearted attitude in the game and with God’s help.
Everything turned around when they went from half-hearted to wholehearted commitment in their attitudes and in their determination. My favorite scene was when Coach Taylor pushed Brock, the team captain, further than what the captain would have ever pushed himself. In the death crawl scene, Coach blindfolded Brock because he didn’t want him to give up before he gave it his “very best”. Brock crawled the distance to the end zone with Jeremy on his back.
Being wholehearted in my walk with God and in my daily living is who I want to be. I want to be present for the wins of those who pay the price for the wins – like the World Golf Championship on Sunday. Those wins become our wins, too! That’s how I looked at when a friend started talking to be about the game and I could say, “I was there!”
That’s how my grandsons’ baseball and wrestling coaches want them to show up for each game or match. A give-it-all-you’ve-got attitude. No mediocrity. No ho hum, half-hearted living.
God gave us His whole heart when He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ. He gave His all when He gave His life for us. Shouldn’t we take on a new attitude of “giving our all” in everything we do in life – in our homes, our jobs, our love for God and others?
Fully devoted followers of Christ don’t know “just enough” or “making it by the skin of our teeth”. Wholehearted” means complete commitment, dedication, fully devoted, loyal, unlimited, unconditional.
“Lord, I want to serve you wholeheartedly. Please forgive me for not having an “all-in” attitude in anything you assign for me to do. I don’t want to be a half-hearted servant. I don’t want to make it to heaven “by the skin of my teeth”! I want to be fully devoted, locked and loaded as your follower and your ambassador.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 “You shall love the LORD your God with ALL YOUR HEART and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Jeremiah 29:13 ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me WITH ALL YOUR HEART.”
Psalm 138:1 “I will give You thanks WITH ALL MY HEART.”