NOTHING IN RETURN
This weekend was our ENDURE THE DIRT 5K mud run around Mack’s Prairie Wings in Stuttgart. It is a course designed for a healthy individual to undergo some trudging through the mud. As I thought about all 363 participants and 172 volunteers, I asked myself, “What did they get in return?”
No one really got anything in return. The only thing many received was sore muscles, a dirty body, and ruined clothes.
My mind then went to a group of guys that came to support their coach. They turned the corner all six of them and began to jog in sync. They came up behind Stringer putting their arms around him ready to run the race.
One of our friends said it best on Laurens Facebook post:
I watched those boys from the time they arrived until after they finished running. I saw the excitement in their faces by just being there! I saw the biggest smiles that would light up a room. I saw mixed emotions as they began the race…excitement, fear, dread, worry, that look of “eww gross” …and, I heard their laughs, their moans as they each began sinking in the mud. I heard their shouts of encouragement for their fellow buddies. I saw them frequently huddled together, with Stringer in the center, something they’ve probably done a thousand times. I saw Stringer eagerly move close to the starting line, then follow beside them as far as he could, not taking his eyes off of them.
But…on that day, none of what I witnessed was because they “had to.” On that day, Stringer wasn’t their coach. On that day, they didn’t have to push through and perform their best. On that day, they didn’t have to get filthy dirty, nor freezing cold. On that day, they didn’t have to be excited and full of energy or eager to get out there and “play the game.”
The difference on that day was that they WANTED to!!! It was obvious to me that they have a true love and a real bond with Marc Stringer. What all of those guys have been through as a team, as friends, as players, as students, and what they have all shared with Stringer and each other will undoubtedly bind them together in a way many of us will never experience nor understand. The lessons those boys have learned will go with them forever, long after they shoot their last free throw.
God has His way of taking messes and turning them into messages. What I saw on that day was a message like no other. It was a message of support, of love, of empathy, of caring for one another, of overcoming fears, of encouragement, of sacrifice, of compassion, of patience, of understanding, of friendship, of family. It was obvious to me, just this innocent bystander, that Marc Stringer, Coach Stringer, friend Stringer is teaching way more than just basketball to these young men. And what better message or messenger could there possibly be? ❤️
Our daughter Katie said this:
Something that was just a crazy vision has turned into an event that not only honors those fighting a battle they did not choose but brings amazing people together that would normally not cross paths. About half way through I was about to stop jogging because I was running into wind that was making it even more tough. I look up and I see Stringer riding in a ranger getting a look at the course and all those that were participating. Right then I knew that I needed to suck it up and keep fighting for Stringer. Not just because he fights every second of the day but because he would give anything to run this course and be able to cross the finish line and not have to worry about scans, chemo, and overnight hospital stays. I endure the dirt for Stringer, and I would do it every day if it meant this nasty disease would disappear. Shout out to my parents and many others that have made Endure the Dirt possible. Once again, it has exceeded all expectations! ❤️ #endurethedirt #cancergetsdirtybutwedotoo
I have to ask when the last time you did something extreme and expected nothing in return? When was the last time you helped someone out of love not because you had to?
John 15:13 New International Version (NIV)
13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Jesus challenges us to love. Not as defined as the emotion, affection or passion, but as a sacrificial action. Genuine love usually involves some type of sacrifice. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice because God loves us.
As Christians, we are to show unconditional, selfless love. No, we probably won’t die for someone; however, there are ways to practice sacrificial love through encouragement giving and helping.
Jesus wants us to love each other not expecting us to need anything in return. He loved us enough to give his life so shouldn’t we love others?
Jesus’s whole life was one of nothing in return. He came to serve and that He did. His life was dedicated to exhausting himself through giving to others. There was occasion after occasion when he did much to comfort and heal anyone that came to him for help. He sacrificed things that most people would want in life.
We live in a world where we feel like everything, we do have to have a return. A world full of strategies for getting us precisely what we think we need and most importantly what we want. We do things for a particular result. We want to live and give and believe we should be rewarded, but is our reward really here on earth?
The greatest act of sacrifice was His crucifixion on the cross. Through Jesus dying on the cross, He got nothing on earth as a return. He did receive the seat in heaven where He would reign over creation. However, what did He actually get here on earth in the human form?
I found an article that was entitled, “7 Things the Death of Jesus Accomplished.” These are the 7 things:
1. Atoning sacrifice to God for sin
2. Made peace between us and God
3. Takes away our shame
4. Demonstrated God’s love for us
5. Enthroned Jesus as God’s chosen the king of Gods people
6. The story of Israel to its climax
7. Set the standard for how Jesus followers are to live
Out of the seven there is one that was for Jesus and that is number 5 the others were done for us. Can you imagine being the living sacrifice for someone, not just someone but for everyone?
So, I ask you again, are you selfless? Do you do things because of the return or because Jesus wants us to be a given loving people? When you do something for someone do you expect nothing in return?
Think about it!
CHALLENGES OF THE WEEK:
- Keep your daily appointment
- Dig deep in the word
- Think about what you do and ask yourself, “Do I expect nothing in return?” During Lent do something every day and expect nothing in return.
- Fill your cup with Christ so you can fill other cups
ARTICLES:
Leave a Reply