Saturday, September 12, 2009

Where's Waldo?


You remember the books and images of "Where's Waldo", right? Waldo was "lost" in the scene and your job was to find him. Well, I've started spending some time training to be a volunteer at a local rescue mission. My first time there, I experienced a strange feeling. I was the outsider. Even where I sat in the room - I was uncomfortable...By the end of my time there, I was looking forward to my next time there. What caused that change? How did that feeling of being the outsider subside? The next day as I was reflecting, something came to mind that I've been pondering a lot over the past months, if not years...Jesus' words that whoever wants to find his/her life must lose it. What is it to lose myself? I don't think it necessarily means giving all my possessions away. It doesn't necessarily mean becoming some sort of martyr...what came to mind as I was reflecting was something my college basketball coaches used to tell me...they'd say, "Mark, you have to lose yourself in the game." In other words, you get so into it that you're lost in it...sort of in the zone...when that happened, I played at my best...so, I began thinking, is that what Jesus meant? Get lost in the experience. Forget about yourself. Don't be so self-conscious...get lost "in the zone" and you'll be at your best...