While the excitement of football season starts again, many NFL players are doing whatever they can to make the team...and hoping it will be enough. Next week is going to be extremely tough with teams cutting their rosters down from 90 to 53 players. Unfortunately, after going through training camp and the preseason, some players will be told they aren’t a fit for their team. For many guys, this will be their last chance to play in the NFL. The coaching staff and front office are tasked to determine who should or shouldn’t make the limited roster. Although this is necessary for the business side of the NFL, it's a painstaking process. Looking players in the eye and telling them they didn’t make the cut must be very difficult for coaches. There are genuine emotions, relationships, and lives involved when these tough conversations take place. As uncomfortable as these conversations are, teams need to move forward and allow players to know where they stand. If coaches are honest and communicate the reasons for their decision, players can benefit from knowing what to work on or embrace being cut as an opportunity to go in a different direction. Most likely, coaches have different approaches to handling these difficult conversations. However, they need to be confident and willing to tell players what they don’t want to hear but need to hear. Hopefully, even though it's football, they do so with kindness, gratitude, empathy, and compassion. Whether at work, home, church, or in our neighborhoods, we probably don’t like having tough conversations, yet they’re usually required to clear the air, help someone, or allow both sides to move on. As followers of Jesus, we’re called to have three specific conversations with people in our lives…and often, they’re uncomfortable to have. First of all, we’re called to confess our sins to one another. James 5:16 (TLB) tells us to “Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results.” Secondly, we’re called to come alongside fellow believers who are caught up in sin. The Bible says in Galatians 6:1 (AMP), “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any sin, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness , keeping a watchful eye on yourself, so that you are not tempted as well.” Finally, we’re called to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus gives us this challenge in Mark 16:15 (TLB): “You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.” Although this should be easy for us to do, we can find ourselves hesitant at times. The interaction that takes place in these three situations can involve genuine emotions, while relationships and lives are affected by having these challenging conversations. The key for us is to have the proper approach and always ask God to give us wisdom and the right words to say. We want to be honest while having compassion, grace, empathy, and humility. Colossians 4:6 (NLT) urges us to “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” Instead of avoiding these difficult conversations because of fear, we need to ask God for boldness and confidence to embrace them, so everyone can experience the benefits that result in speaking the truth in love. Today, let’s be mindful that tough and honest conversations allow us to know where each other stands, and what we can improve on. Let’s allow this kind of communication to lead toward healing, growth, breakthroughs, and an opportunity to move forward in a new direction. I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me to embrace the important, yet tough conversations in life. I pray You’ll give me the right words to say at the right time and approach these conversations with honesty, humility, and grace. I ask that there will be healing and growth. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR PACKS:
1. What conversations are the toughest for you to have? 2. What growth or healing have you experienced following a difficult conversation?
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