| What I Learned from Rocky Balboa. I saw Rocky | | | | what I was, did I even begin to be satisfied. I love |
| Balboa yesterday with my son Chris. It is a typical | | | | to sing, but if you have ever sat in front of me in |
| Rocky movie and worth the time and money for | | | | church you will know that I can't sing, Oh I got |
| all you underdog fans, especially you older folks | | | | the noise part down pat, but the joyful part, well |
| who need a bit of inspiration to get out of that | | | | that is one gift God hasn't given me. No matter |
| easy chair. (Sylvester Stallone is 60!) By the way, | | | | how many CDs I cut, I will never be successful at |
| he is working on Rambo IV to be released in | | | | it, so I don't even try. Folks God has given gifts |
| 2008! | | | | to men, we all can do certain things that other |
| I won't tell you about the movie but there was | | | | people cannot do. I cannot handle the things |
| three lines that I heard that we can all learn | | | | nurses have to handle, my stomach will not |
| something from. | | | | tolerate it, so I cannot make it as a nurse. But |
| As close as I can remember they are: | | | | praise God for the ones who can! Some people |
| "Life is hard and it will knock you down, but it is | | | | cannot stand before a crowd and speak, I have |
| not about how hard you get knocked down, its | | | | no problem with that. What is it that God has |
| about how far you keep going forward after you | | | | gifted you with? |
| get knocked down that matters." | | | | What comes natural to you? If you want to live a |
| From the minute we are born life is a struggle, it | | | | full and satisfying life, you must find out what that |
| always was and always will be. We start by | | | | gift is, be it raising and teaching children, cooking, |
| struggling to breath, roll over and then to crawl. | | | | writing, serving, driving a truck or running a |
| We start to stand and we fall down time and | | | | company. Whatever gifts God gave you, focus |
| time again until we learn to balance ourselves | | | | on becoming the best at them and be satisfied. If |
| upright. Then comes that task of walking and | | | | it is a struggle to do what you do, maybe your |
| running that is accompanied with cuts scraps and | | | | doing something you shouldn't. |
| bruises. Do we stop? No we press on in spite of | | | | "Who has the right to tell someone they can't do |
| the pain, in spite of the struggles, in spite of the | | | | something when they pass all the requirements." |
| falls. Then for most, we tackle a bicycle, | | | | This is one area where we have to be careful. |
| roller-skates, and baseball, with more falls, cuts | | | | Sometimes in man's desire to make sure things |
| and scrapes. We fight to get good grades in | | | | are done right, they often discard those who are |
| school, we fight for friendships and we fight for | | | | gifted and called simply because they haven't met |
| love. We fight to keep a marriage together and | | | | the requirements that man put in place. |
| we fight for our children and when we are old, | | | | I have met many gifted and talented musicians |
| we still fight off sickness and pain and hurt from | | | | that have never had a lesson in their life, yet if |
| the aging process just to stay alive. Good fighters | | | | anyone asked us what we would have to do to |
| not only have to train for speed and power but | | | | play a certain instrument we would tell them they |
| they also need to be able to take a hit and keep | | | | would have to find a teacher and take lessons. To |
| going. If they get knocked down, they have to | | | | which I would respond, yes that is the typical way |
| get up and keep going until the final bell rings. | | | | but not always the only way. Some people have |
| Folks, life is going to knock you down, it will | | | | been gifted and qualified by God to do certain |
| deliver you some disastrous blows that will not | | | | things and who are we to say they cannot or |
| only knock the wind out of your sails, but it will | | | | should not do them just because they didn't go |
| drive you to your knees. Be it through | | | | through mans way of doing them. The bible tells |
| disappointments, health issues, death of a loved | | | | us to examine and test the spirit, not to discard |
| one, or loss of a job, rest assure you will | | | | them just because they haven't met our |
| encounter one of life's deadly blows. Everyone | | | | requirements. Just look at every person God used |
| does. But it is the ones who get up before they | | | | in the bible and show me one whom man would |
| are counted out who have a chance at seeing the | | | | have chosen for the task. We need to see if the |
| victory. These people look toward the prize. They | | | | person is gifted for the task in spite of his ability |
| know that failure is not about getting hit and | | | | to prove it on paper. |
| knocked down, that is to be expected when you | | | | How many pastors are there that have all kinds |
| are in a fight. Failure is staying down and not | | | | of degrees but can't seem to hold a church |
| getting back up before the bell rings. | | | | together? Yet man still puts them in place only |
| God will one day ring the final bell for us, it is then | | | | because of some piece of paper they have. You |
| when our battle will be over and not until then. If | | | | can take this same question and apply it in the |
| you are still breathing, you should still be fighting. | | | | work force; we have all kinds of trained and |
| Don't ever give up, be it in ministry, relationships, | | | | qualified people in positions yet how many times |
| finances or health. If you have encountered one | | | | do we run across people who are lousy at their |
| of life's deadly blows, take a moment to catch | | | | job? |
| your breath and renew your strength and then | | | | Called people do not need to be forced to |
| get up, put your faith in your trainer (Jesus) and | | | | practice, study or improve themselves. My oldest |
| press on toward the goal and remember; all | | | | son plays the piano and my youngest the drums, |
| around you are people who are fighting, they | | | | they both can play fairly well, yet have never had |
| need someone who has experience to help them | | | | a lesson and I never had to tell them to practice, |
| get through life as well, why not find someone | | | | to learn or buy music books. They did it all on |
| and teach them what you know? | | | | their own. No one has ever had to tell me keep |
| "You are a fighter, that's what fighters do, they | | | | learning how to be a better pastor or to do |
| fight." | | | | research on something that I am gifted in. It is a |
| When you know what you are, it is much easier | | | | part of me, it is a pleasure and I want to do it |
| to do what you need to do. Me? I am a preacher, | | | | and will do it regardless if anyone tells me to or |
| motivator, and part time writer, that is what I am | | | | not. |
| and what I do. Auto mechanics work on cars, | | | | Bottom line; When you are looking for someone |
| plumbers plumb, Carpenters build and writers | | | | to fill a task, look for the called and gifted |
| write. If you don't accept what you are and the | | | | BEFORE you look for the ones who have been |
| gifts God gave you, you will never be satisfied | | | | qualified by man. It will make all the difference in |
| with your life and you will always be running after | | | | the world. |
| something else. I know, I struggled with it for | | | | And you thought Rock Balboa was just a movie |
| years and it wasn't until I gave up running after | | | | about some old has-been getting back into the |
| everything I wasn't and focused on becoming | | | | ring? |