I have three Fantasy Football teams this year, and my first
team’s draft was yesterday. It is also
my most challenging league because it’s an IDP league. Those reading this who understand what that
means are groaning. If you’re unfamiliar
with the term, it means that, along with individual offensive players and a
team defense, you also draft and play Individual Defensive Players (IDP). In this case, it means that I manage a
20-member team each week for this league – about twice the amount of players on
each of my other leagues.
I’ve never been able to participate in the live draft for
this league, and so I have left my team to chance, and the computer has
automatically chosen for me. It’s always
been fun to play, but quite honestly, I knew I could do better. During the season I’ve been able to
manipulate things a bit so I actually win a game or two, but I’ve never had a
hope of making it to the finals. I have
managed a mediocre team in a tough league.
In other words, I got out of my team about the same kind of effort that
I put into it.
I was determined things would be different this year. I had every intention of being available for
the live draft and hand-picking a stellar team.
However, knowing that there is always a possibility that I could miss
the draft, I did my homework. Not only
did I research the players, I researched strategies for drafting – specifically
in an IDP league. I made my list of the
top 50 players I wanted on my team, and I took the time to create a pre-draft
queue.
As it turned out, the live draft came and went before I was
able to get to my computer. I missed it
again this year, but my expectations were high.
I had acted on my desire to take this seriously. I had put the effort in. I was intentional in my preparation. And . . . I have a really killer team! I still had some tweaking to do, but not the
complete overhaul I faced in years past.
I am so excited!!
Ecclesiastes 9: 10 says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do
it with all your might,” and Colossians 3: 23 states, “Whatever you do, work at
it with all of your heart.” I think God has
created us for something greater than mediocrity. It’s pretty clear to me that I’m not
satisfied with it in my Fantasy Football teams, so why do I so often settle for
it in the things in my life that really matter?
How many times do I put all the work needed into my
relationships, my health, or my spiritual maturity? Sometimes when I think about the energy
necessary or the intentional effort required, it seems so much more appealing
to engage the auto pilot and leave things to chance – to go with the automatic
draft and think I can get by with a mediocre team in a tough league.
We were created for so much more. In John 10:10 Christ tells us, “I have come
that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Other translations of this verse use words
like “satisfying,” “rich,” “fullness,” “to the full, till it overflows,” “more
and better life than they ever dreamed of.” Nothing mediocre there.
Relationships take effort.
A healthy life takes sacrifice.
Spiritual maturity takes intentionality.
If I want life that’s “full till it overflows,” I can’t leave it to
chance.
Tami Cinquemani
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