The Importance of Timing in Your Life

Watching the videos below you can see some similarities between these two professionals and their swings. Each composes himself with balance and poise. One focusing on a moving object and the other on a much smaller stationery one. Each is noteworthy in their respective fields. Each is of a similar build, not over-developed muscular-wise.

If you have ever watched a natural hitter like Ken Griffey Jr, below, you notice a quick, fluidic, effortless swing which generates great batspeed and thus massive power.

Or perhaps you are more familiar with the phenomenon known as Tiger Woods:

Notice neither of these men are particularly BIG physically like Arnold Schwarzenegger for example. Rather they are tall and lean. There are few instances in which massive people like Arnold have the finesse for such skills as hitting a home run or a 400 yard drive.  Yet they make it look so easy.

For anyone out there whom has played either sport and gotten THAT hit, the one where there was no resistance of the ball against the bat or the club. That hit in the "Sweet spot" where you weren't even sure if you made contact for everything met at just the right moment and the right space in time.

So what is it about these swings that make them so beautiful and desirous to recreate?

Watching these videos and even listening to the experts' analysis of Wood's swing we can glean these are finely tuned athletes with extraordinary muscle control, but there is one critical ingredient laying right before our eyes like an elephant in the room yet no one mentions it at all:

TIMING. 
The old cliche' "Timing is everything" is a cliche' because it is so true. There is nothing like showing up 15 minutes late to work, for your flight or to miss dinner at home with your family to make you realize that. NASCAR and NHRA fans understand timing. Expert marksmen and hunters understand it. Comedians and actors live and die by it.

With exceptional timing and being in tune with their body, these athletes show us what it is like to have the right timing for maximum result with less than maximum effort for they know by FORCING it or trying harder, they will fail to get the results they desire. In baseball it will be a pop fly because the tension in Griffey's muscles will squeeze the bat too hard and cause a slight drop in the bat angle leading to too much undercut. Or Woods will pull his hands in too close to his body and end up with a huge slice to the right. Instead, they realize by slowing down and keeping the proper timing, they will get extraordinary results.

The other thing I would point out too is once these athletes commit to their swing, there is no hesitation. No second-guessing. Once it commences, there is no reservation whatsoever. They are committed to it and execute it quickly.

Jesus of course realized the importance of timing also. For 30 years he labored as an obedient carpenter before breaking out into the role God had in store for Him. Waiting for His time and calling, Jesus was faithful, making the most of his craft while biding His time. He lived in the moment, not looking forward to the future. We humans are often looking to the future- to get off work, go on vacation, to eat, etc. Too often I hear people wishing their lives away by saying things like "I wish it were Friday" or "I am just killing time." These are powerful statements that provide us a glimpse into the psyche of that person.

But there's so much more to it than just Jesus waiting 30 years for His first miracle. Consider how He NEVER seemed to be in a hurry. Waiting for 30 years to perform His work. People would implore him to come and heal this person for they are sick and but he would deliberately take his time. This resulted in two ill people actually dying before He could arrive. But of course if He had hurried He would not have resurrected  Lazarus and Jairus' little girl in Mark 5:21-43. In Mark 4 we see Jesus and the disciples leaving a large crowd behind to travel to the far side of the sea. He spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness.

He was never in a hurry because He was on GOD'S TIME! As it turned out, we see Lazarus and the little girl raised from the dead not just simply healed, a much greater miracle. His waiting for God's timing made these larger miracles. Leaving the crowds hungry for His Word and works made them pursue Him rather than sitting back, having been satisfied and feeling as though they had heard all they needed to know. They knew there was more so they pursued Him out of faith and hunger.

You don't have to go THAT far out of your comfort zone to
see a Big return on your investment!

Too often we are satisfied and comfortable with our walk and thus will not get out of our comfort zone to grow. Growing ourselves can be a scary proposition for the truly experience growth, we have to get outside our personal boundaries and push ourselves into uncharted territory.

Be that as it may, it is clear to me, whether you believe in God or not, we are all in place as a part of a plan. One that is orchestrated with an intellect and perfection we cannot begin to comprehend, but can be obedient to. God places us in positions for a reason but this reason may not be immediately clear. It may not even be for our own benefit but perhaps for someone around us. It has taken me more than a decade to begin to appreciate the lessons God has intended for me as a disciple but I was too proud in my walk to hear what He would have me to hear.

I now realize I may have been in a storm, but it was really a season. A season of understanding and openness with myself and God.  What I am trying to say is, when I entered this stormy season, I was upset and asked "Why me?" and I now realize the time for that part of my life had come to an end though I desperately clung to it and I needed to  LET GO first before I could take the next step.  Unfortunately, I was disobedient, trying to hold on too long and ultimately had to be humbled before I could begin to hear the lesson He would have me to hear.  I had to be removed from one career path to one substantially lower in esteem than the one I was on. That was not the humbling part for me. It was to stop asking "Why me" and start asking "Why NOT me?" and to thank Him for the grace He extended to me despite my disobedience.

What is just beyond YOUR comfort zone? What is just out of reach that God would hand to you? Reach out your hand and take it from Him for He is a loving Father and you are a beloved child of His. What father would deny his child anything beneficial for them? Commit to your swing right now. Take that step and watch what happens next in your life.

The miracle of the United States intro

Being an historian, I have had an opportunity to enjoy the many stories of the remarkable adventure that became the United States.

Tracing our history back to the Pilgrims and their improbability for success, I marveled at what is obviously something God was directly involved in. When you consider the various turns of events in our history, I am more and more convinced we were (as a nation) of Intelligent Design, and having been in medical sales for over a decade, having been exposed to the miracle of the human body, that we (as humans) are of Intelligent Design as well. 

Through subsequent entries of this blog, I will offer some of the more illustrative examples in which we not only succeeded against overwhelming odds, but flourished in less than 200 years.

Previously, the only people capable of such feats were conquering armies like the Romans, Greeks, Mongols, French, and many others throughout history. Powerful army-nations who conquered less powerful people and vanquished them to servitude and exploited the spoils of war.

While some would argue we did the same (especially with regards to the native Americans), the main difference here is we did not venture north to Canada nor to the south into central or south America which would be an appropriate example when compared to the aforementioned conquerors.

Furthermore, much of this great nation was taken from other nations in conflict, eg., Mexico, or outright purchased from others like France and Russia. No matter how you look at it, for a country to rise from the ground with literally nothing going for it but the desire to be free, and no guarantees except a very real possibility of dying, our founders braved difficulties, dangers, risks and fears you and I cannot begin to appreciate.

Consider the Pilgrims. Who were they? Were they the wealthy, aristocracy of Europe? Were they people of influence and means? No. They were very nearly the bottom of the barrel of society- perhaps one step above a prisoner or a slave.

They were not successful in part because they were religious outcasts, otherwise, they would not have had a need to leave and expose themselves to such risks and unknown variables. Yet, for all their shortcomings, these people established colonies in the wilderness of the eastern U.S., and set the groundwork for something truly remarkable- a nation unlike any the world had or ever will see; a nation of free men, and one that emerged as a superpower, and a powerful economical force as well.

That is not to say we have not made mistakes- we have. Many of which we continue to make (ostensibly for the greater good) today; Allowing judges to legislate from the bench, allowing the vocal minority to undermine the fabric of our nation by removing God from our schools and teaching revisionist history, allowing our taxes to be spent wantonly with little or no accountability, backing illicit governments, and unfortunately, repeating some of the same mistakes over and over.

Nevertheless, we tend to come out on top for a variety of reasons. The media call it ingenuity, military or economic might, what have you. Make no mistake about it- when adding them all together, it can be nothing short of Divine Intervention.

Why do we fear a challenge?

A sort of follow up to my March article on Standing up to Challenges, I began wondering on my way home this evening why we shy away from challenges. I was listening to the radio decompressing before I got home and Taylor Swift's A Love Story was playing. In one verse she says "Romeo save me, they try to tell me how to feel; This love is difficult but it is real", and it got me to thinking how many people I know who are separated or divorced. How many people I know who have never faced their potential and chased their dreams. Why is that?

We live in the greatest country in the world. Freedom and liberty enable us to be ANYTHING we want to be, yet remarkably few take advantage of us. I see many immigrants in the area living the American dream. They work extremely hard, many have their own business and home. They chase the dream with a vengeance, and hang on to it.

When I was separating from the service after a short stint, I was faced with one of the greatest challenges of my life. All my life all I had ever wanted was to serve my country as an officer in the military for a career. It is all I thought of. And when I was faced with a difficult decision to separate and provide for my wife and 2 children, the task was quite daunting at the beginning of the journey.

Several colleagues and I went to a recruiter's informational meeting to see what options we had available. He was strong, convicted and very good at what he does. He suggested we read his book on PCS'ing to Corporate America. After the meeting, I conferred with a couple of friends and wondered about my meeting with him the following afternoon. "Don't worry" they said- "just go". The decision to go or postpone weighed heavily on my mind.

The next morning I phoned the recruiter and asked for an appointment on his next visit in a couple of months. He of course thanked me for my courtesy, and we went on with our day.

The next day I asked my buddies how the interview with the recruiter went. I heard all kinds of excuses: "He was arrogant", "He was an &**hole", "A jerk" etc. Predictably, everyone with these comments was not accepted by him to be a candidate for his recruiting agency.

Coincidence? I think not. You see, Roger only accepted on average 12% of the applicants. Not because they were extraordinarily talented, but because they were committed to the career change and were taking it very seriously. They demonstrated this commitment by reading his book and many others, and learning how little they knew about themselves and how to interview. Under Roger's leadership we became experts of ourselves and rose to the challenge. His course was rigorous and demanding, but deep inside my heart I knew by following his advice and direction and dedicating myself to his plan everything was going to be alright, and that is how I was able to lead my family during one of the most stressful periods of our lives.

My friends took the easy way out. They chose not to try to learn about themselves, and if they don't know themselves, how can they convey their best qualities to a prospective employer and land the big job? They can't.

When I landed my job with a cutting edge medical company selling devices to surgeons, my friends called me "lucky". That infuriated me.
God had given me a path, just like them, but unlike them, I chose the path less traveled and succeeded where they had failed. I suppose it is easier to point the finger at someone else and call it luck, but it was highly offensive nonetheless, and I am not one to get worked up about stuff like that.

Along the same lines, many people accuse my wife and me of being lucky for the relationship we have. We have been together since we were 16, and have never been with anyone else. What we have IS special, and I think we are indeed blessed to have each other (though I am DEFINITELY getting the better part of the bargain!), but the marriage thing has not always been a bed of roses. We have had ups and downs. We have fought. We have disagreed about things, but we have worked them all out. We trust each other implicitly, knowing the other would never do anything to harm what we have.

This is rare, I know.

But the point is the work and the investments we make into our relationship. While I am not always a teddy bear to be around, I do my best to leave my frustrations at work (or wherever they come from) and not take them out on the family. I am not always successful, but I try. My wife loves me for who I am, and she realizes the grumpy guy is NOT who I am. She looks past this inadequacy. How she put up with me when I was in the service and much more volatile is a mystery to me. (I told you I was getting the best bargain here)

Nothing worthwhile is free or easy, and if it is, it is most definitely not worth much to you.

People use all kinds of things to fill a void in their lives- shopping, home decor, cars, vacations, clothes, food, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, sex. The list goes on and on. Each of these "addictions" as many are becoming known are nothing more than the human spirit, seeking more pleasure, being allowed to spiral out of control by someone not working to improve themselves. And if they are not willing to improve themselves for their own benefit, what chance does their spouse have of motivating them?


The bottom line: We fear a challenge because it makes us uncomfortable, we feel we have too much at risk or don't see enough payoff for the challenge. When we try to tie a monetary value to everything in our life, we devalue that which is most sacred- the love of our Father, our family and our neighbors. When we take our eye off the ball and focus on the material things in our lives, we lose sight of the greatest commandment and subsequently true joy. We Americans feel if we can have this vacation, raise, promotion, car or house we will truly be happy. Then, there is one MORE thing we want, then another. When does it stop? Never.

Truthfully, are you really happier today with all you material possessions or were you happier when you were a simple child and found wonder and joy in most things? Sadly, most of us will answer no. We have supplanted a simple life with gadgets and stress trying to procure more and more stuff we will leave behind when we die.

Trust me on this one- take a trip somewhere away from the advertising that surrounds us today. Turn off the t.v., radio and Internet and spend a couple of days away from it all and see what you start to think about. You may find yourself looking at yourself and wondering how to change yourself for the better or to have a closer relationship with God. If not, worst case, you end up with a relaxing few days away from the constant pressure of in your face marketing.

Go ahead and try it- I dare you!

Are you wrestling with your faith?

My oldest son Michael is about to wrap up his short wrestling career. He started just 4 years ago and progressed significantly under the direction of a remarkably talented coach at the high school.

During one of his last matches, it occurred to me there is a strong parallel between what we were watching in athletic competition and what we as bleievers go through every day. I watched as one of our kids was really man-handling another wrestler, and by the look on his face, the other boy had no idea what to do to escape.

Truth be told, there was nothing he could have done. Our wrestler was far-too talented and skilled to be beaten unless he made a mistake. It was almost poetry in motion. Every move his opponent made he was already prepared to counter and then attack with a move of his own. It was so unfair I genuinely felt bad for the other boy. It seemed like no matter what he tried, no matter how hard he fought, he was stymied at every turn. There was no one there to help, only a passive judge (the referee) who kept tally of the contest.

I marvelled at the similarity of this competition I was witnessing and wondered if others saw the same symbolism as me. My guess is probably not.

But the good news is that is pretty much where the similarities end! If you are a Christian, you KNOW the Lord is with you (although sometimes we do forget that), and through Him, all things are possible. Have you ever been though? Feeling pinned down, physically exhausted and emotionally drained as you are attacked from seemingly every angle of your life? Why is it seems things go badly all at once? What do you do about it? Do you internalize and bottle everything up, let everyone else know about your difficulty, or pray?

I hope the answer is you pray. Praise Him for all the blessings you have, and for the strenght to weather this storm in His name. Pray to learn what He would have you to learn from this lesson, and to be able to reach out to others and lift them up as well.

This is not easy- when you feel like your boat is being tossed about on the sea and you are about to go under, one of the last things most people think of is reaching out into the cold dark sea to lift another one out of the water when it is all you can do to stay afloat. But that is exactly what God would have you to do!

It is easy to be cheerful and upbeat when everything is going great and your way. Who can't do that? But the real test of character is when things are tough, you are unsure yourself, and you think "I am the only one going through this". You may be the ONLY one going throught EXACTLY your circumstances, but truth is, you will be amazed at how many others who seemingly have it all together are in deeper water than you. All you have to do is ask

Years ago, when my professional career was spiraling out of control, I admired my next door neighbor. Dave was on his game- medical sales, working the phone, setting appointments, closing business and making a great living. I languished in several short-term jobs while he maintained a strong professional life. I was envious because I had been there not long before, and had it all taken away for some reason. I had let it embitter me, and felt how unfair it was to my family.

Then one day Dave shows up on my door step. He had been crying for some time. We sat down in my office and he told me his wife wanted a divorce. Their little boy was about 3 at the time and he was Dave's pride and joy, yet something had terribly gone wrong. His wife was very controlling, and finally things came to a head. I felt so ashamed of the envy I had felt, especially when he shared with me he had envied ME with the close relationship my wife and I enjoyed. I was sick to my stomach. I had lost sight of what was really important, and more to the point, during my distress, I had withdrawn and not been there for a friend of mine until it was too late.

I still struggle with having to carry the burden I have now and volunteering to take on others with my friends, but I force myself to. I am trying to do the same with this blog in the hopes it helps just one person with an "aha" moment.

We must remember when we are wrestling with our challenges, all we need to do is keep our eyes, heart, ears and faith upon Him, and we will become the champions, while witnessing to those around us. So many times I hear someone who was tested in a very difficult situation how they made it through the ordeal and they often say they knew God was with them all the way. It doesn't matter how much bigger your "opponent" is or how much more "skill" they have, for the Lord is your might,

Isn't it comforting knowing no matter what, He still loves you and WILL be there for you? All you have to do is ask.

Be blessed.