A Zone Of Your Own
Zones come in all makes and models. Airports have loading and unloading zones,
Rod Sterling has The Twilight
Zone, travelers have time zones, football players have end zones, environmentalists
have o-zones, and dieticians emphasize the body zone.
But there is another kind of zone that
transcends explanation, that athletes experience that takes them to new heights of performance. If you’ve ever experienced it while playing a
game, you know what I’m talking about.
While I’ve had my fair share of off nights in sports, there were a few
occasions in high school and college where it seemed things were clicking to
such a degree, you almost felt like singing the Oklahoma movie phrase,
“everything’s going my way.” Spirals
were tighter, shots were straighter, hits were farther, passes were crisper,
vision was better and anything you did made it “a beautiful morning and a beautiful
day.” Regardless of the sport, whether
football, basketball, soccer or tennis, being in the “zone” tends to do that
for you.
You see, the zone is all about readying
yourself for the moment. It’s not a luck
thing…it’s a practice thing. And
there are several ways to bring it about:
1.
Preparation. Perfecting
your ability.
2.
Concentration.
Studying the moves of each play.
3.
Meditation.
Good athletes will imagine themselves successfully accomplishing the
task before they take a swing or step to start their moves.
4.
Expectation.
Greatness comes through avoiding complacence and demanding more of yourself
than the competition.
While there are many parallels to sports
and faith, as Paul referenced over 50 times, there are none so evident as what it requires to be victorious. Preparing through prayer, studying God’s
word, meditating on His ways and expecting to defeat the opposition. John wrote, “This is the victory (original word: nike) that has overcome the world,
even our faith. Who is it that overcomes
the world? Only he who believes that
Jesus is the Son of God.”
(1 John 5:4, 5) As far as championships go, it’s a place
where a cross will serve you far better than a swoosh.
Terry Risser
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright 2014 – Terry Risser
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