Give it your best shot

I just don't get it. My favorite baseball team, the Detroit Tigers, lost two of the three games they played this weekend. It isn't the fact that they lost the games that is the problem. It is who they lost the games to that is stunning. They were playing a team that is not very good and was demoralized by the fact that they had traded away three of the best players prior to the series.

It is almost as if the Tigers went into town and didn't take their opponents very seriously. That is a recipe for disaster. The opponents turned around and slapped the Tigers around and punctuated the fact with an 11- 2 beating on Sunday.

It just goes to show that you can't take anyone or anything for granted in life. When you do, you often end up regretting it. It is as true in our daily living as it is in sports. When you take things lightly you usually end up regretting the outcome. We are called to give everything we do our best effort. As a matter of fact the scriptures tell us that whatever we do, we should do it as if we were doing it for God. I think that's a good policy.

The truth is that the world looks at us as people of faith and sees us as a reflection of the God we serve. When we don't give our best effort it reflects poorly on God. When we are abusive and hurtful in our actions, it speaks poorly of our Lord. When we are unsympathetic and uncaring we give the impression that God doesn't care.

Jesus said we are ambassadors for Christ and that makes it doubly important for us to give our very best effort in everything we do. Whether it is in church or in the world, people are watching and making a judgment about whether God cares or not when they see us.

So go out and give it your best shot, no matter what you do. It will be a blessing to the people you meet, to God and to yourself.

Cal