Bigger and Better

Hello Girls!

"The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them.  People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7

I was blessed tonight by my wife reading a chapter out of a book titled Love Does by Bob Goff.  Like most of the male species listening is not one of my stronger characteristics (my mind wanders quickly), but I put my seat belt on, and was an attentive listener for my wife. Actually, it wasn't hard at all (this time).  To me, the book is very engaging.

Bigger and better is the title of the chapter I listened to this evening.  It was about a teenage boy who was participating in the game "Bigger and Better" with his youth group.  I'm certain some of you have played. As the story goes, the young man began the game with a dime, approached the doorway of the first house he had set in his sights, and knocked on the door.  A man answered, and the boy began to tell him about the game, how he had a dime to begin the game, but was looking for something BIGGER AND BETTER.  The young boy announced, "Do you have anything bigger and better than my dime you could trade?"  After prompting his wife for a trading suggestion, the teenager walked away from the home with a Serta, pillow top mattress. At the next house, the boy was able to wrangle a ping pong table.  During his next stop he acquired a prize winning elk head (I would've stopped at the ping pong table).  I will tell you that by the end of the night he was driving a Dodge truck home. Wow!  What happened next was more amazing.  The boy gave the truck away...I'm guessing to someone in need. Holy Moly!

Do you girls ever feel that you work so hard, have given so much of yourselves, and yet feel like you haven't moved very far?  I know I do at times.  Many of us are looking for bigger and better, yet never stretch ourselves beyond where we're comfortable. 

The moral of this story is that the boy dreamed BIG.  Who would've ever began that night thinking, I'm going to walk away with a truck tonight? I think God calls us to dream BIG dreams that we can't imagine, but He can. God knows the dreams of your heart, and He wants to make them all come true, and it's up to you to recognize the potential He sees in each of you. I have a hard time believing God wants to keep any of you right where you're at.  The God I know is a BIG God who can do things I can't imagine. I just pray he helps my imagination to become more clear. I think I speak for both Kati and myself when I say we'd never thought two small town, high school coaches would be coaching collegiate volleyball. Coaching at Whitworth, and specifically, being led to you girls is a blessing provided by God just because Kati and I took the plunge by going after a dream.  In many ways, I owe Kati a lot.  Her courage to apply, interview and take over the Whitworth volleyball program inspired me to approach her about coaching as well.  Kati dreamed a BIG dream, went after it, and I believe God put her right where He wants her.

I know you have bigger parts to your lives than volleyball.  I'm glad you do.  I hope each of you will dream big when it comes to YOU, and the desires of your heart.  Don't let the world define your success.  With God, you define it!  He didn't want to put a fence around your life.  He made you to go beyond your potential girls. I honestly believe that is true for the individual goals and dreams each of you hold in your hearts!...including volleyball.  Why would you not want to be BIG even on the court?  Remember, God knows your heart, and whether you're a believer or not, you can't hide your dreams from Him.

Ok....that's enough of my religiosity for now.  If I come off sounding like a holier than though disciple of Christ who has his life in order.  That's not really how I view me at all. I'm writing this to myself, as much as each of you.  I know I'm flawed, imperfect, a mess really, and that without God in my life, it would be messier. I'm just trying to be the best version of myself whom God created.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far!  Here is your weekly CrossFit Challenge:
WOD #2 - 10 Burpees, run 100 meters.  Max rounds in 10 minutes.  Once you've complete 10 burpees and a 100 meter run, that's one round....repeat for 10 minutes counting your rounds.

Good Luck! Don't put boundaries around your heart and dreams....DREAM BIG!
Panch