Time out

Several sports benefit from having the opportunity to request 'time out'. It is a crucial time in which you listen to the coach, rest, recover your strength, or simply interrupt the opposing team in the middle of a good run.

An expert coach knows how to find the appropriate moment to ask for time out; he knows how to share his thoughts on the game so far, and to express what he wants the players to know.

In the NBA, one of the most famous coaches, PAUL WESTPHAL, formed a great team, the SUNS, together with the general director, JERRY COLLANGELO. The two men were also very well known for being committed Christians.

We all need to eat each day, we make time for that purpose, and to recover our strength in any way we can. Normally it does not matter if we are very busy or not, we always find 'time out' to eat.

Our spiritual life should also be given time and space. If we don't dedicate time each day to our personal relationship with God, we will be living on diminishing strength.

Under normal circumstances, at any time and however our day goes, we need time out. Not only to rest and meditate on how things are going, but above all to pray, read the Bible, and listen to God.

Sometimes we ask ourselves why we don't know how to behave, or why we react badly to difficult circumstances. We forget the most important thing: have we taken time out to listen to our coach?

What are your priorities? Are you finding time to do everything else, and only after that, if time allows, giving time to God? If so, let me tell you that it is not a good system.

If God is at the end of your list, you are sure to have problems in your spiritual life. The most important time of each day is the time that you dedicate to being alone with your creator. Don't forget that!

Do you know what could happen if you neglect your time with God? Well, you are not able to give what you have not got yourself.

You cannot hope to help others, given the fact that you have not yourself received help from on high.

You can't comfort, encourage, strengthen, teach - nor can you evangelise - because it is very difficult to get water from an empty fountain.

And if we don't drink daily from the fountain of God, we become empty vessels ourselves.