Rituals

Theme: Rituals

Verse: The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:4)

Wade Boggs (a Tampa native) had a remarkable baseball career. He is in the exclusive 3,000 hit club and one of only three players to have his 3,000th be a home run.

Boggs was famous for his pre-game ritual of eating chicken before each game. While there is no evidence that chicken provides any superpower for baseball (or anything else), there is some evidence that rituals help players focus on the task upcoming and perform better in the game.

The power of rituals is not confined to sports. How well our day goes seems to depend on how we start it. Perhaps you start with morning exercise, eat a certain food for breakfast, or wear specific clothing based on what day of the week it is. (Yes, I rotate my shirts through the colors of the rainbow each week and my closet is organized by Roy G. Biv.)

There is another ritual that can give us all great power. That is reading the Lord’s word and prayer. In Ephesians, Paul describes the word of God as a spiritual weapon to be used to combat forces that we struggle against each day. Having this weapon gives us the power of Jesus alongside us to combat problems such as destructive thoughts, anger, pride, and conceit.

So, as we start our days let’s ask God for His insight, protection, direction, and strength. That’s a ritual we can all share and in the end we will all be able to join God’s 3,000 hit club!

Have a GREAT week!

Adapted from Lead with Faith, Play with Purpose by Andy Doole