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Many years ago, Tony Campolo heard Marshall Shepherd Snr preach an amazing message that repeated the line, “It’s Friday… but Sunday’s Coming!” over and over again.
Campolo has gone on to make the message famous all around the world and his version is incredibly inspiring.
As Easter approached, I was reminded of this message and the hope it gives, so here’s my version.
On the original Good Friday, Jesus’ disciples were devastated by the horrific death of their teacher, but thankfully, even though they didn’t know it at the time, Sunday was coming.
You too may be devastated by grief.
It’s Friday… but Sunday’s coming!
Have you ever had a great day ruined by one bad experience?
Or a bad day saved by a positive moment?
You would think that logically a bad moment plus a good moment would equal a neutral experience, but it rarely seems to work like that.
It’s as though mixing black with white doesn’t equal grey, but it either becomes totally black or completely white, depending on our perspective and focus.
So how does it work for you?
The moments that change us are:
- The risks that we take.
- The inspiring and challenging conversations that we have.
- The painful experiences that we survive.
- The mistakes that we learn from.
- The information that we gather and put into action.
- The decisions that we make. Read the rest of this entry »
Our scars can be physical reminders of the mistakes that we have made in the past.
That time you fell off the bike or accidentally cut yourself with a knife.
We see them and remember the exact moment when it happened, visualising the blood and wincing at the pain.
And we become cautious about experiencing such pain again, so we take the appropriate precautions, learning from the experience.
Sometimes, we carry with us emotional scars as well.
Those moments that are too painful to talk about.
The events that bring us shame or leave us feeling depressed.
So we avoid thinking about them and try to build walls that will protect us from experiencing pain in the future. We become hesitant to take risks and find it difficult to be vulnerable around others again.
But what if we looked at our scars differently?
I want to take more risks, but…
I want to be more influential, but…
I want to make more sales, but…
I want to be a better parent, but…
I want to become a more effective leader, but…
I want to wake up earlier, but…
I want to start my own business, but…
Cape Buffalo and calf, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
One day, on the plains of Africa, a young buffalo named Walter approached his dad and asked him if there was anything that he should be afraid of.
“Only lions my son,” his dad responded.
“Oh yes, I’ve heard about lions. If I ever see one, I’ll turn and run as fast as I can,” said Walter.
“No, that’s the worst thing you can do,” said the large male.
“Why? They are scary and will try to kill me.”
The dad smiled and explained, “Walter, if you run away, the lions will chase you and catch you. And when they do, they will jump on your unprotected back and bring you down.”
“So what should I do?” asked Walter.
Schools don’t cope well with disruptive children.
Kids who talk in class, who don’t put their hands up before answering, who paint a dinosaur instead of a house and who can’t sit still for a moment.
They are told to be quiet, to wait until they’re called upon, to do what they’re told and to sit still.
They eventually learn to conform (at least, most of them do).
And then they become adults.
This is when the problems start.
You may feel jaded and tired… it’s time to bring the passion back!
You may feel as though you’re just going through the motions… it’s time to bring the passion back!
You may not be able to see the impact of what you’re doing at the moment… it’s time to bring the passion back!
Everyone else around you may be cynical and lethargic… it’s time to bring the passion back!
You may have been married for years and are struggling to feel connected… it’s time to bring the passion back!
As a leader, you may be finding it difficult to inspire and motivate your people… it’s time to bring the passion back!
We all know that one day we will die.
We don’t know when, we don’t know how, but it is inevitable.
It’s not the most positive of thoughts, but that’s not the morbid part.
The sad part isn’t that we all die, but that not everyone chooses to live.
We all have an opportunity to treat life as an exciting adventure, but we choose not to.
We all have an opportunity to find out why God has placed us here and to live according to our purpose, but too many people choose not to.
We all have an opportunity to learn new things throughout our lives, continuing to expand our horizons and be amazed by the possibilities, but too many people choose not to.
Some people live their life as though they’re doing the hokey pokey.
They put their left foot in,
They put their left foot out,
They put their left foot in and they shake it all about.
They don’t make a decision, they don’t take risks and they spend their lives sitting on the fence wishing that they had the courage of the successful people that they know.
One of my favourite stories in the bible is the time when Jesus came to His disciples by walking on water.
When Peter saw Him, he wanted to try it too, so Jesus invited him to walk towards him.
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