Theme: Going Backstage

Verse: Iron sharpens Iron, and one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17)

Have you ever had a backstage pass to a concert or other event? Those passes are typically reserved for people that have connections to the performers, those they are comfortable letting inside the inner workings of their on-stage productions.

For most people, a backstage pass is about seeking accountability. That accountability might be about running or exercise; that is the person that gets you up at 4:30 each morning to knock out a five miler or some other workout. If you are in school, maybe it is studying for the biology exam. In our Christian life, it might be reading a passage of the Bible in preparation for Small Group or Sunday worship.

In our culture, especially in sports, we are taught to be self-reliant. Self-discipline is considered a high value. But it is problematic to take that self-reliance too far moving into isolation. Isolation is where we pull back from community to do all things, including live out our faith, on our own.

The problem with isolation is that it makes us think that when we experience a particular difficulty or addiction that we are the only ones that this has ever happened to. We fear that no one else can possibly understand our situation so we resist opening up and seeking help. Nothing could be further from reality.

Having people with a backstage pass to our life are essential in our Christian life. We all need someone (or a group) we can share the joys and sorrows of our life. Those people keep our lives in balance and keep us inside the lines.

Who has the backstage pass into your life?

Have a GREAT Week!

Adapted from True Competitor by Dan Britton and Jimmy Page