The Goalposts of Life

It happened more than once this weekend. A kicker attempted a field goal, the ball banged against the goalposts, and the kick fell short or went wide. One statistic says that around 85% of all field goals attempted by NFL kickers are good. That’s an impressive number. It is also a reminder that the most seasoned, most highly paid professionals are not perfect all the time.

I wonder if 85% of all the sermons preached, articles written, classes taught, ministries carried out by preachers this week will be “good?” The truth is, even the best of preachers will sometime “miss.” There will be times that we will hit the goalposts and fall short in our attempts.

It is possible that someone reading these words feels as if you have hit the goalposts of life and missed. Maybe it’s in your marriage, your finances, your relationships with elders or staff members, your study, your outreach, your personal life, or even your prayer life.

How do we handle it when we are aiming for victory and we hit the goalposts of life? Here’s a few suggestions for those who feel as though they have hit the goalposts of life.

(1)      Remember that no one is perfect. We all fall short at times. We all miss the intended goal. Even the very best among us cannot claim perfection.

(2)      We serve a God who is gracious and long-suffering. He is the God of the second chance. Our loving Father doesn’t bench us when miss. He is patient with us, and He is on our side.

(3)      Lean on others who love you. There are many of our preaching brothers who can and will be empathetic to us when we struggle. As well, there are other children of God who will support us.

Let’s all take some time this week to praise God for His Kindness and His Goodness toward us.