Three "Ps" In a Pod ( Part 2 of 3)

 Last week we started this three-part series with the goal of sharing key characteristics that can and will make your life have more meaning and purpose if only you embrace them and make them a part of who you are. The good thing about each of these traits is that they are developmental. Last week we looked at how your perspective on situations and circumstances can change your outlook on life. The notion that some people are just born with a negative outlook or that some people just automatically look on the bright side of things is merely that a notion. The very situations and circumstances that happen in each of our lives are the same instances that help us develop our perspective. The same rule applies with today's trait, perseverance. 

Just as in running you build your stamina by training your body over a period of time, the same is true for perseverance. Marathon runners don't start training by running twenty-six miles, some started out walking around the block in their neighborhood, and even athletes that might label themselves as "conditioned" have to start somewhere to build up their endurance and stamina to eventually reach the goal of finishing a 42-kilometer race. So, as we jump into our Flat Tire Thought today, don't be too hard on yourself thinking that you are a quitter or that you don't know how to bounce back up after a fall. That is what perseverance does for you and a great deal of your development in the area of persevering is directly linked to one four letter word, hope. 

When I say perseverance is directly connected to the word hope, don't get confused thinking I'm talking about something like luck. "Oh, I hope I win the lottery" is giving the word hope more of that type of connotation. I don't believe in luck, to me there are no coincidences in life. God has a plan, we make choices about which direction we are going to go, but I trust that God's plan will be fulfilled whether it is by me making the right choices, or through some other means if I fail to fulfill God's purpose for my life in service to Him. So, if "hope" isn't just hoping for something good to happen in our lives, then what is this hope that pushes us to move forward and not give up?

Hope is the presence of faith that there is something bigger than ourselves out there. A firm, unwavering belief that the God who created Heaven and Earth, the Omnipotent and Omniscient Alpha and Omega, has His hand on my life, your life, and every other person's life. The hope that this type of faith builds is one that believes all things happen for a purpose and that God has a plan and His plan will be done. We persevere because we hold firm to this belief. I won't give up, because at the very moment I do I may have missed out on the door that God was getting ready to open. 

The tale of the race between the tortoise and the hare is an improbable one at best. Looking at the participants in that race it would be ludicrous to even think the slow, methodical tortoise would even have a chance to win that race, but that is exactly why they ran the race. The outcome is not settled until one of the contestants crosses the finish line. In the case of this proverbial tale, the tortoise prevailed because of its perseverance. Not because the tortoise thought all it had to do was show up and the victory was in hand, but instead, it was because somewhere along the way that tortoise had prepared for such as day as this race and in the tortoise's mind, the race could be won and in this particular instance win the tortoise did!

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1. We do not know the outcomes in life. We do not have a crystal ball that can show us whether we will win the race or if we will fail miserably finishing dead last. Even worse we don't have a guarantee that we will even finish the race that we are currently running. It is not our place to know the ultimate outcome of our races in life, it is our responsibility to run the race as if we are going to win the race. Even if we fall back or fall down, we must get back up and keep pushing for the goal that we are pursuing. Perseverance. Plainly and simply said, we don't give up because we have a faith in something bigger than ourselves and definitely bigger than what we can literally see. I have chosen to place my faith in Christ. 

I may fall down ten times, I will get back up eleven! I might lose the race today, but I will continue to work and improve for the next race tomorrow. I may lose the battle over and over again, but ultimately, I know who has already claimed the victory! "For we walk by faith, not by sight" II Corinthians 5:7, and that faith tells me to keep fighting when the odds are improbable, to keep rising up when the mountain looks insurmountable, and I will continue to give, serve, and lead because I believe that is what I was placed on this earth to do. On purpose for a purpose! My prayer is that you will develop your perseverance capacity. Overcome obstacles by making them ladders to what's next instead of barriers to what might have been. Constantly move forward in the face of adversity because the faith you have in Christ will empower you to overcome it if it is His will, or endure it and thrive in it if that is His will. Learn from your mistakes because those are the building blocks for your next opportunity in life. You've got this! 

 

Coach Carter

Three "P's" in a Pod (Part 1 of 3)

 

How we live our lives depends a great deal on our mental attitudes. One person owns a business, while another person in desperation makes plans to rob that business. One person wins the marathon, while another looks at running the race as an insurmountable task to complete. One person stops what they are doing and leans down to pull their neighbor out of the ditch, while another person sees that same person and thinks "Why don't they get up and get out of that ditch?" I would propose that there exist three qualities that encircle a great deal of what goes into the thinking behind each of the scenarios above. We were all made unique, just like a snowflake, there is no two of us exactly the same. Yet, in our differences there are opportunities to mold and shape who we are and in so doing, shape how we will believe and achieve. For the next three weeks we will be looking at the "three P's in a pod" that have the ability to change you and your outlook on life. Perspective, Perseverance, and Prayer and where you fall in the development of each of the three will determine a great deal of how you will respond to adversity, affliction, and life in general. Today we'll be looking at your perspective. 

 

I was listening to a radio broadcast out of Nashville this morning, and the two disc jockeys were sharing that one of the pair had broken her wrist over the last day or so. The DJs joked back and forth about the incident that led to the injury, but the point in the conversation that caught my attention the most is when the injured person's counterpart paused to point out all the things she could still do with only one healthy arm. Of course, his suggestions were for pure entertainment purposes as he offered activities such as filling in for the Queen as she waves to the crowds, raising your hand to volunteer, and still being able to eat an ice cream cone were a few of his comical suggestions, but inside of his comedic relief, I heard the message of perspective in our circumstances being shared. 

 

Half empty, half full, half way up the mountain or still have half of the mountain to climb, we each have our own perspective on how things are fleshing out in our lives. To label yourself as either a pessimist or an optimist is a cut and dry way of creating a persona, but for me it is so much more. Your perspective on the situations and circumstances you endure and overcome is critical to what you do and how well you do it to benefit others in your world. 

 

When it comes to perspective, Lieutenant General Lewis "Chesty" Puller provided a view of how your perspective can impact not only you, but those you live, work, or serve with each day. Puller is a United States Marine legend, stories like the one I am about to share explain why. During the Korean War, Chesty and his troops found themselves completely surrounded by enemy forces. Surrounded by your enemy, where do you place your focus in a situation like that? In that setting you couldn't even say your back was up against the wall, because your enemy was at your front and at your back. My thought would be there was a bleak sense of pending doom on the minds of many of the soldiers that day. How commanding officer Lewis Puller reacted demonstrates how perspective is paramount to success. Puller gathered his men and shared the situation in the following manner. I paraphrase, "Men for days we have been searching for our enemy, we now have intelligence that informs us that the enemy is positioned to our north, to our south, to the east, and to the west", I am sure men's hearts were dropping fast, but then, the leader in the room, Puller shared this perspective, "that's good news, they can't get away now!" What a rallying cry, to hear your leader proclaim victory in the face of what might otherwise appear to be insurmountable odds. Puller and his men survived that harrowing experience, and I have to believe a great deal of it was due to the attitude of "we can do this" that the man leading the charge provided. 

 

Your perspective will cause you to give up and quit, or it will inspire you to forge forward and fight regardless of the adversity you are facing. When Jesus realized that He soon would be arrested, most likely tortured, and then ultimately hung on a cross to die a criminal's death, his humanness felt afraid. Nobody wants to endure pain and suffering, but in this case, Jesus knew it was inevitable. As much as He knew what had to happen, Jesus still asked His father if He could be spared, "Father, if you will, withdraw this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be fulfilled." Luke 22:42. The perspective Jesus provided is one of sacrifice over self. "I don't want to endure this cross, but if it is better for me to suffer, so that others might be saved then so be it." is a trait that characterizes servant leadership, and instills a sense of a much bigger purpose for us and the life we live. 

 

Your perspective matters. It will dictate how you respond in adversity, it will move you to action or it will freeze you in fear. Your perspective will cause you to feel sorry for yourself or it will allow you to realize that someone out there has a much harder life than you and they are still moving forward making the most out of the life they have been given. Your perspective will carry your family forward when the going gets tough, and having the ability to put things in a proper perspective will change the way you feel when you get up each morning that you have been the God given ability to get up! I believe I can move mountains, one spoonful at a time if necessary, but move that mountain I can and I will! God is faithful and He will not leave me alone along the way! Where are you on the perspective spectrum? My prayer is that you will seek God's perspective of hope and an enduring faith that promises "all things work for good ..." Romans 8:28.

Coach Carter

As Much as Things Change, One Thing Still Remains the Same

Have you ever stopped and given thought to how the world, as we know it, is changing so rapidly right before your eyes? Technology is almost outdated before it hits the store shelf, advances in medical treatments have elongated the life span of mankind exponentially, and the internet continues to shrink the world in terms of a global community. When I think about the changes that have taken place in my fifty-eight years, I can only shake my head in amazement. You have to realize, I'm still trying to figure out how I can be sitting right here in Morristown, Tennessee talking on a device to someone across town, on the other end of our state, or to our friends across the big pond! I mean when I was growing up the Jetsons was a popular cartoon based around the "future". George Jetson, patriarch, had video calls coming in on a wall mounted TV monitor and I was so impressed with the idea of being able to talk to someone and see that person on a screen. Zoom? Teams? Google Meets? Who would have thought? I guess I'm waiting on the chance to shout out the command, "Beam me up Scottie!" 

 

Cars that drive themselves, artificial intelligence that can perform so many "human" tasks, and most recently a miraculous vaccine for a global pandemic produced in months as opposed to years, these are things that we barely even blink at, but if you sit and really give them some thought it certainly does borderline with incredible! Life as we know it will continue to change, yesterday's science fiction is today's reality, that is just the reality of life as we know it. But, I would make a proposal that is not a new mindset, but one that takes on a whole new perspective when placed in its proper context, “The more things change, the more they stay the same!”

 

How we conduct business may change to a virtual world, yet we will always be dependent on business to make the global economic world go around. People may interact through virtual formats, but we will always thrive on making connections with our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and acquaintances even if they are on the other side of the world! And learning, which is essential to progress, may become more of a personalized experience filled with online, simulated, and asynchronous components, but the necessity of learning will always remain a primal obligation for mankind if we plan to continue moving forward. The more things change...

 

As much as this world has changed there is one constant that has not changed, one person that has been the same since the dawn of creation and will remain the same regardless of how "things" change in our world. We serve a great big God, a God that loves you just as He loved the Jew and the Gentile, the wealthy and the poor, the downtrodden and the honored, God's love has not changed, and the pathway to receiving His love remains as simple today as it was over 2000 years ago. Ask, seek, and receive His gift, it is free of charge and available anytime day or night!

My generation has lived through land lines and party lines (you may have to ask someone about party lines), to smart phones that can be accessed on your wrist, or hands free in your vehicle of choice. I have gone from ordering my burger through a little box mounted beside an illuminated menu board and then having my order delivered to me by a wheeled carhop, to ordering that same burger via Uber Eats and potentially having a drone drop off my meal at my front porch steps, with equal delivery times! Change is good, and progress is inevitable, but I am thankful that my God, your God, our God is the same God today, tomorrow, yesterday, and forevermore! 

 

The Bible assures us that our path to eternal life is simple and unchanging, "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." I John 2:17. In relation to today's topic we are reminded that, "... we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." II Corinthians 4:18, and above all matters past, present, and future, it is paramount that we understand the sacrifice that was made so that we can gain our eternal salvation through Christ, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16. It doesn't matter who you are, what you have done, or where you exist on life's spectrum of clout and position in life, salvation is yours forevermore! I thank our Father in Heaven for the eternal gift that was given for each of us, a gift that regardless of how much things change, His love will forever remain the same! Hallelujah! May you receive and accept His eternal love today!

Coach Carter 

 

My Little Box

 After thirty years of working in the Hamblen County School System, this past week I transitioned to a new position with the Tennessee Department of Education. I'd have to admit that it all felt a little surreal until I started moving my stuff out of the office that had been my home away from home for the last five years. I have amassed quite a library over the years which filled one large bookshelf, and took several boxes to empty the shelves of my collection of inspirational, motivational, biographical, and educational hardback and soft cover resources for growth and knowledge. But it wasn't the boxes of books that caught my attention as I trekked up and down the steps from my office to my truck bed, no what created an opportunity to reflect was one little box filled with items that most people would not give you ten bucks for at a yard sale. As I gazed down into the box that had not garnered much attention as I packed the contents, a thought crossed my mind, "After thirty years is this all I have to show for my years of service in the field of education?" After delving into the contents of that little box, I realized that instead of a little box, I had in my possession a treasure chest filled with memories I would never sale.  A trophy that my son Ethan received in fourth grade for being on the honor roll in his Aunt Donna's class at Whitesburg Elementary, a can of Beanie Weenies with a tattered label that my nephew Jacob and I toppled across as we hiked a difficult trail in southwest Virginia. (We had been conversing about being hungry and on the next switchback of the trail, we walked up on the can sitting on a rock in the middle of the trail, the expiration date on the can was my birthdate. Thank you God!) Items like the kaleidoscope the teachers at Union Heights gave me one year representing my ability to see things from multiple perspectives, and a cup full of wooden coloring pencils made to look like sticks with bark taken straight from the tree. As I reflected and grinned continuously at the contents in my little box, I had an "Aha" moment, what I had amassed over the past thirty years won't fit into a little box, and it wouldn't even fit into a semi-truck trailer. I have been blessed beyond description with treasures that will be etched in my memory for the rest of my life, and hopefully will persist into the lives of my family and countless others for years and generations to come. 

Jesus provided this advice coupled with an applicable warning "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21. The items in my little box were mementos that jogged memories, but the items themselves aren't the treasure, the true treasure can be found in the positive impact and influence I hope that I have had in the classrooms, on the wrestling mats, volleyball courts, as a principal, and most recently as a district supervisor. I treasure the opportunities that I have been entrusted with over the past three decades, so many positive reflections that they couldn't even fit in a thousand cardboard boxes! 

Treasures such as a former wrestler who approaches me with his young wrestler son explaining to him that "Coach Carter was my wrestling coach and I'll never forget the things about life that he taught me on the wrestling mat", or the vast number of current teachers who are former students of mine, my daughter Rae included, that are now educators inspiring their students to give their best and not accepting anything less. Teachers, colleagues, other educational leaders, and parents or guardians that I have served and supported through professional development opportunities, conferences, and conversations over the years are treasures that can't be enumerated or boxed for safe keeping. I truly hope that on my epitaph the inscription reads something like, "He came into this world with nothing, and left everything he gained to everyone he met." 

Have you got a box of treasures? Are they golden artifacts that will dull over time? Are you busy accumulating "things" that will tarnish and rot and won't be worth the cardboard box they will be stored in? Or will the items in your box stir up memories of the lives you have touched, the impact in your world where you live, and the legacy you will leave behind one day? Maybe it’s time for you to do a mental unpacking of your memorabilia to see what you are putting your efforts in to storing? Keep in mind that it isn't too late to change what you have been collecting. It took me almost half of my life to really realize that what I was collecting didn't have a bearing on my "happiness". When I made a shift from a "me" focused life, to a "service before self" lifestyle it changed my life forever. "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So, I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20. What is in your little box? I'll stop here with my own little piece of advice, if you don't like what you find in your little box, then change it. You are in control of your life and what you put in your own little box!

 

Coach Carter