The month of November I was privileged to take part in a sermon series entitled, “Pre-Hab.” King’s Cross Church in Tullahoma, TN decided to take an idea that I presented to them during a typical Tuesday night small group workout, and run with it.
It was very humbling to me when Kal Busman came to me and told me that they were going to do a series in November (2015) on “Pre-Hab.” Pre-Hab was a term I introduced to our Tuesday night workout group (King’s Cross’ Relentless).
The concept of “Pre-Hab” is synonymous with proactive. Most people have heard of re-hab, short for rehabilitation. Well “Pre-Hab” is the opposite of that. “Pre-Hab” looks at things and tries to find ways to avoid problems in the first place.
(Disclaimer: the videos were intended to be light-hearted and play off of the typical, egotistical trainer. Most of you who know me, know that the guy in the videos isn’t the real me. If you decide to believe otherwise, well, that’s funny in and of itself. Laugh, cry, and be entertained. If you get anything of value out of the video, consider yourself lucky.)
This is the 2nd part of the Pre-Hab Series. If you would like to start by reading and viewing part one, click here.
Week 2 – Sacrifice
We all appreciate our movie heroes, and rightfully so. They dedicate their lives to help protect others. We admire their sacrifice and due-deligence. But, nobody stumbles upon greatness. It’s achieved through sacrifice but not sacrifice alone. Rather, it’s achieved through intentional sacrifice.
Sacrifice often brings a negative connotation along with it. I think this is undeserved. Sacrifice is really a beautiful thing. There is much fruit to be bared through sacrifice.
“At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.”
– Hebrews 12:11
The Elements of Sacrifice
1. Sacrifice: the act of giving up something you want or need, for the betterment of someone else, or your own greater good.
Small sacrifices are one thing. Living sacrificially is another story. What’s the difference you ask? Good question.
Surrender
Without surrender there is no sacrifice. In America, we view surrender as bad. We all live with a “never say die” attitude. While there is a time and place for this attitude, it must not stand in our way from sacrificing what we must in order be what we are suppose to.
Surrendering is committing fully to the bigger and greater ‘why.’ You don’t always understand the ‘why.’ That’s okay. We’re not called to understand. We’re called to be faithful. Surrendering your wants and needs is a huge component to living the Pre-Hab life.
Taking a leap of faith and going after something that you’re not quite sure of is definitely part of surrendering. It’s a scary thing to do, not knowing what the future may hold, but that’s what we’re suppose to do. Go after it and trust that everything will turn out just as it should.
“A ship in port is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.”
– Grace Hopper
We’re not here to play it safe. We were put on this earth for a purpose. It is up to each one of us to fulfill that purpose. It is our responsibility.
They say that the weathliest places in the world are the graveyards. In there, you’ll find books never written, teachers who never taught, athletes that never competed, and on and on…
Time ran out on these people. The most valuable asset that we have, time. It’s a non-renewable resource. Let us be sure that we take full advantage of the time given to us. We cast aside worries and doubts and surrender to the process.
Worried about the critics?
“To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.”
– Aristotle
2. Hold on “Loosely”
“…but don’t let gooooo! If you cling too tightly, you’re gonna lose control.”
Admit it, you sang that .38 Special song, didn’t you? No? Well, I sang it to you.
Often times, we place a lot of value on our belongings. We have a hard time letting go. Recently, I helped somebody move and I remember them saying that they hadn’t seen some of those boxes since their previous move.
I am no stranger to this myself. I find myself very sentimental toward some things. I feel that’s perfectly fine. It’s hard to let go of certain things. Such as, old family photographs, photos of loved ones no longer with us, old sports memorabilia. I think the big take away here is that we are able to get rid of these things if we had to.
But this concept of holding on loosely, doesn’t just speak to physical belongings. It speaks to mental belongings as well. Sometimes we are trapped by memories. We hold on to them. Nothing wrong with that but they become a problem when they get in the way of our future, if they hold us back.
I think this is where our concept comes into play.
For example, we’ve just lost a loved one. It’s a difficult time. There is a grieving phase that is important and necessary. It’s length is different for different people. Once that phase is complete, it’s time to hold on loosely.
Remember the memories, remember what they stood for and what they may have done for you. But one thing you cannot let happen is to overcome with sadness that you are filled with inaction.
They are gone. What’s left is the memories. You are still here. There is still work for you to do. Don’t let their absence disrupt your mission. As a matter of fact, let it enhance it.
3. Focus on What Matters
At any given moment, we have numerous things battling for our attention. The TV has “breaking news,” the internet has pop up advertisements, and our phones send us notifications of every little thing.
I would argue that it’s harder to focus now than it ever has. I’m not asking for sympathy from previous generations, it is our own doing, no doubt. However, it is a valid argument.
How do we stay focused? And, more importantly, how do we stay focused on what matters?
I think the aforementioned elements of sacrifice will help us here. They give great direction. Once we have done those, we must reiterate them. Take an inventory of what you have. What is important? What can you do without?
Often times there is a “lead domino.” I’m sure you are familiar with the domino affect but just in case, the domino affect is when you knock over the first domino and all the other dominos fall down. One action leads a cascade of events.
It’s pretty neat to see but this metaphor applies to life as well. Often times, there is one action step that you can take that will take care of all the rest. One thing that’s bigger and will make all the other steps insignificant in the process.
I urge you to find that lead domino and focus on what matters.
This weeks video is still working on the foundation. The pictures in Pre-Hab #1 may apply more here. Enjoy.
Stay #Relentless my friends.
