Consider...

I have been thinking the past week about what this year is going to mean to me. What am I going to do to make this year memorable? I do not want to just be defined by my baseball career. Everyone knows and hears about me as the great shortstop. I am not that great of a ball player, at least not great enough to be known only for my playing ability. I want to make a difference on campus and I want people to know that I am reaching out to them to make their experience better. It is only within my power to do certain things but whatever I can do to help is more than enough. I do not want to be defined by a relationship or the people I know, I want to impact people all over campus in a way in which I never thought I could. I am still trying to figure out how to do that but I know I will find some way. If I am not leaving a lasting impact on most of the people I meet in life, I apparently am unable to reflect Christ in my life effectively. If only for a moment I could experience what Paul, David, Moses, Abraham, etc... did, then I would be able to have a grasp of what it is like to do something truly great. The accolades mean nothing if you spend your whole life focused on them and forget about everything else. Your accolades can be a platform but they should not be the focal point in fact they should not even be brought up unless someone asks. We push and push to be the greatest at everything we do but I cannot honestly think of many people who aspire to be a great christian or the greatest person who helps those in need. Sure people do stuff from time to time but sometimes it is for the spotlight and only because they feel obligated to. If I cannot stand up and make changes in life to respect Christ and those that followed him, then I am failing at what it means to be a follower of Christ. How can one go their whole life trying to sneak by with little sin or a sin here and there and then on the day of judgement say, that they love God and would do anything for him? I get that we make mistakes but some people just try to sneak by and hope nobody is paying attention because it is a lot easier that way.

Moses faced a time of uncertainty in his life as he grew up and when he came face to face with God at the burning bush. If you look at Hebrews 11:24-27 it says, "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of the Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the other people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." Moses stepped out and desired to be remembered for what he did for God instead of being remembered for his status in the palace. It says that the pleasures of sin for a short time did not appeal to him because he had his eyes fixed on Christ and what was going to be his reward in the end if he continued to battle through. Unfortunately in our society we are consumed with technology, sports, relationships, work, etc... and we do not even have a glimpse of what heaven is going to be like for us. We claim that some experiences give us a glimpse of heaven but then we go back and continue to live the same way we did before. If you had a glimpse of heaven why would you not continue to pursue what the future holds? Is a glimpse enough for now or do you want a picture? How about pursuing it to have a smell of heaven or a taste of heaven? Moses saw him who is invisible and I believe that is still possible today. We say we want to see Christ or God but I think we have a mental block of skepticism in our head that it can really happen. I think God tries to meet with us face to face sometimes and we walk right by him because we are not looking for the invisible, we want the visible and tangible and we want it now!

For those that I have come against in my life who said I would never achieve certain things and that I will be like everyone else, I know that Christ has my day coming. It is not to rub your nose in it, but it is because God has a great plan and it will be revealed so that everyone can see his power and stand in awe of the way he moves. I know it is coming because I feel like I am finally applying some knowledge to my life and my heart is changing each and every day. I wish I could say I was walking straight everyday but I know that he is carrying me when I start to get sidetracked a little. He is not going to allow me to drift away as far as I have been before because he knows he almost has me where he wants me and I know that now more than ever, I am closer to where I have always wanted to be.

If you have any questions or comments or just want to talk, my phone and my comment/message section are always open. May God continue to guide you and lead you into his arms each and everyday. Please continue to pray for me.

God bless,

Joseph Robinson