Learning from the Masters

It’s always a joy to watch people who are really good at what they do.

I spent a few hours recently in the Waterfront Hall in Belfast watching some of the best snooker players in the world battling it out to become the Northern Ireland Open Champion.

It’s amazing to get so close to the action and watch the concentration and focus as these great players pit their wits and their skills against one another.

If you have ever played snooker on a full sized snooker table, you will know how fiendishly difficult a game it is to play. A one off pot needs to be followed up with positional play to take on the next shot. There are times when you need to be aggressive, and times when you need to play containing shots. You need a knowledge of angles, and have to control the cue ball when you are playing or you can end up in an even worse position than your opponent who is sitting down!

I noticed the way the best players keep their head still on their shots. Their concentration is wholehearted. Their shot selection is carefully made and nothing is hurried. It was incredible to see them move the ball round with such precision. You couldn’t have placed it better for the next shot with your hand.

Some years ago, I had the opportunity to see Tennis being played in Wimbledon and, again, I observed those players who are at the top of the world rankings and the power and timing of their shots.

I saw Britain’s Best Home Cook, some years ago, do a cookery demonstration in a church hall. She was so organised and relaxed as she did multiple tasks at the same time while chatting to the audience and, before we knew it, she had something incredible made in front of our eyes.

One of the key things for those who are at the top of their game is that they haven’t just arrived at this point. Many thousands of hours of practice that is ongoing have helped them to reach this level. They are constantly seeking to improve and learn new things that will keep them progressing and moving forward.

There’s a confidence in their own ability, as well as a commitment to hard work, and a humility to want to keep learning.

Have you ever thought of these things in relation to your spiritual life?Maybe you have reached a certain level in your Christian commitment and discipleship and you seem to be a bit stuck.

You understand the basics of the gospel message. You appreciate the importance of disciplines like Bible reading and prayer and going to church. You are doing all of these things and, maybe, they don’t seem to be having much impact upon your life.

Sometimes, we learn from other people who are a bit further down the path than we are. I love recommendations of books and podcasts that maybe give me new insights. I love meeting with others, too, who share different insights, or things they are doing that seem to bless their spiritual life. Sometimes, they have got involved in prayer groups or worship times with others. Sometimes, they have immersed themselves for a period in acts of service and they seem to gain so much from these experiences. Being part of a house group, or life group, can often lend those opportunities to share with a smaller group of people and learn from their experience.

Perhaps, the best place to look, if I might suggest it, is to look at the life of Jesus himself. We learn so much by reading about him in the Gospels, reflecting on his actions and how he treats others. While all those other suggestions I have already made are helpful, nothing beats watching and learning from the Master himself, our Lord Jesus Christ.

I love the beautiful way Eugene Peterson paraphrases Matthew 11 verses 28-30 in the Message translation of the Bible.

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

We continue to hold the Seeds’ family in our prayers as they prepare for Margaret’s funeral on Thursday 24th October at 12.30. On Sunday, we look forward to our Harvest services at 11am and 7pm. A light harvest supper will be served after the evening service.

All are welcome.

Please note the blog will be taking a break, as will the podcast, next week, but we look forward to speaking again soon.

Much love to everyone,

Jono.

Listen to the latest episode of ‘Bitesize Chunks of Faith’