“Adversity is the state in which man most easily

becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.” –John Wooden

To be honest, this is a story of how God works in our lives through competition. God used an injury of mine and a meeting with Reggie Hodges to teach me, that discipleship is more important than my job.

Basically Hodges was brought in to help out while I recovered from an injury. Here’s what I wrote to Hodges in my book, The Jersey Effect. Watching you punt, these where my feelings:

So I started feeling a twinge of insecurity. “Why is this guy so good … and unsigned … and here to ‘relieve’ me during my injury?” It didn’t help anything when you walked up to me after your “bomb fest” workout and said something like, “Hunter, it is so nice to meet you, man. I want you to know I’ve been watching fi lm of you for years. I’ve learned so much from you and your technique.” I think I smiled and said thanks, but inside I was probably.

I continued to write:

The kingdom of God is more important than my career. You, my friend, are the person God used to open my eyes to just how much of ourselves we are to give. I’ve watched men in the NFL for years play the “friendly” game with those they compete against for a job. When most of these men have their backs against the wall, you see who they really love. They love themselves.

This isn’t how God calls us to act. Instead, it’s the exact opposite. There are many verses  in Proverbs that teach us about work and the ethic we are to have toward it. In addition, it teaches us about people too and our relationships towards them.

Beside work ethic, our relationships towards others should be like a farmer’s to his crops and livestock. We are called to tend to, feed, and water them. In return our abundance will be great. That is our calling …

Is your calling, calling today?