Greetings,
Have you ever changed up your style in any way? Trick question, I know you have because no one dresses like they did when their mom dressed them. I know I don't rock striped shirts and jean overalls any more (but maybe I should?). In my freshman and sophomore years of high school, I rocked Nike basketball shoes 24/7. It was Hyperdunks, Vandals, or adidas Pro Models or nothing. Then I branched out - I got a pair of Vans Authentics (courageous right?). I remember walking into school that day and people constantly saying they liked that I got Vans. It was out of my comfort zone for shoes. But people liked it. So I rocked Vans more and added them into my sneaker rotation.
You're probably either laughing at how stupid that story is, completely confused about what I'm talking about, or about ready to hit that "x" up top and come back next time. Hold up for a second. Have you noticed that when you do something different, it can lead to a lot of good? You see, as Christians, we aren't called to stay the same. In fact, Jesus loves us so much He doesn't let us stay the same. He knows we can be so much better. He knows we haven't reached our potential. And how do we get better? We change things. We switch up our rotation. I look at basketball as a good example of this. I loved to shoot when I played. Whenever I went to a gym, I always worked on my shot. I tried to get more consistent. Do you think I became a better all-around shooter by shooting the same shot from the corner over and over again, day in and day out? No. I had to consistently switch drills, work at shooting off the dribble, coming off screens, set shots, free throws, etc. Same goes for ball handling. If I only worked at one cross over, what would happen when my defender figured that move out? Or what if I could only dribble with my right hand? I would be sitting on the bench. I had to have coaches push me out of my comfort zone.
Music is a great example of this, too. If an artist releases new music, but it sounds similar to the tracks they released earlier, it may not be as popular (*cough* Pitbull *cough*). But when an artist takes a leap and changes something sonically, it can make them even more popular, even give them their big break. Kendrick Lamar is a perfect example. He goes from a mixtape called "Section .80" which is a pretty old school rap record to "good kid, m.A.A.d city" which is a completely different sound, but still has that Kendrick style. Then he's featured on a "Radioactive" Remix with Imagine Dragons. And just today he puts out a new song bringing that OG sound back to hip hop. Changing things sonically may be out of the artist's comfort zone, but it can make or break a career.
God calls us to move out of our comfort zone. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths comfortable." Not quite. Okay how about, "And we know that in all things God works for the comfort of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Again, not right. Our paths being straight (Proverbs 3:5-6) means they will be uncomfortable. God working for our good (Romans 8:28) does not mean it'll be a walk in the park with an ice cream cone and warm weather (though it sounds fantastic). It means we won't be comfortable. Being in The Philippines in 90 degree weather with 80% humidity in a Filipino prison with no air-flow playing basketball wasn't the most comfortable thing I could think of. But man, that was one of the greatest things God has ever done in my life. The best things God does are rarely comfortable. But wow, God does incredible things when I step out of my comfort zone.
I want to challenge you to switch up your sneaker rotation, to step out of your comfort zone (I actually don't care if you change what shoes you wear, it's a metaphor). Watch what God does with you uncomfortable. Thanks for reading this. If any of this strikes a chord, let me know. Would love to hear from you.
Mahal,
Nathan
Twitter: @Nathan_A_Jones
Instagram: Nathan_A_Jones
sneakersandasavior@gmail.com
Ordinary guy writing about an extraordinary Savior. Hoping to share my love of sports, hip-hop, people, clothing, shoes, and Jesus. A small window into my life as a saved sneakerhead.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Future Releases Will Be Better
Greetings,
As a fan of sneakers, you have decisions to make - which pair do you buy. Some collectors make this decision weekly, while others are much less frequently facing this decision. Not every sneakerhead drops hundreds of dollars on sneakers every week. We have to ball on a budget. One of the more difficult decisions to make is when you have two pairs you want dropping back to back weekends. What do you do? Do you want a pair that you won't wait for? Do you like one more than the other? Are either worth it? What if a restock happens? Will you be mad if you get a pair this week but can't get a better pair in the future? Just a few questions to ask.
This is a great analogy to how Christians live. I'm going to be real in this, is that okay? The last year and a half have been tough. My biggest goal and my dream since I was six years old was to play college basketball. That's what I worked towards all year. I spent summers going to camps, playing in tournaments with my high school, spending thousands of hours at the Y, and even traveling to LA and Vegas and Seattle to try to get better. My summers were almost always filled with basketball. That's all I worked for. My sophomore year I started to have some knee pain, but it was never a big deal. It progressively got worse, but I kept playing. I was diagnosed with tendonitis, nothing to worry about. For over two years, I took four Advil before every time I played (which was a lot) and didn't think about it. I played football my senior year and was stoked for basketball season by the time it rolled around. Try-outs start, we're going through lay-up lines and I feel something like a tear in my knee. After practice, I couldn't even drive home. I had to call my parents. Immediately I freaked. How could this happen during my senior year? I end up sitting out for the first month of the season, changed pain killers and started playing in December. As the season progressed, I only played in games, and could no longer handle practicing. I decided before our State tournament that I could no longer handle playing further than high school because of the pain, so I knew that these could be the last games I play. We went into the season as the defending State champions, and got bounced out in the first two rounds. I ended up having knee surgery a year ago, finally after a doctor figured out what was wrong.
One of the hardest things for me is not playing. I played basketball since I was five years old. It was always a part of my life. So having that removed from my life has been one of the hardest things I've gone through. But this is the craziest thing. I know that what is around the corner is better than I can imagine. You see, God has a plan greater than what I could think of. God has a plan for you greater than you can think of. And while I could force it and find a way to get on a court, what God has in the future is better than me prying open a door and sticking my foot in it. There are so many verses that talk about this - Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28, Proverbs 3:5-6, John 13:7 could even be added into that.
Let this be encouragement to you. What you are going through will get better. What you are stressing about, trying to force to work, or what you are bummed about because it's no longer in your life will get better. There is light at the end of the tunnel. What I can tell you is this: being away from basketball is tough. I would kill to be on a team again, running lines, and playing games. But I wouldn't trade the route I'm on for the world. I've met some unbelievable people. Opportunities have come up that I never would have imagined. And God is working in Boise. Let God's plan be your plan. Proverbs 19:21 talks about this. Many are our plans, but it is His plan that prevails. Let His plan prevail in your life. It's better than you could ever imagine. I know that's true for my life.
Thanks for sticking through a post that might ramble and not mean anything to you. And thanks for letting me be real, be raw. It's not easy to trust that God's plan is better than mine. But man, it's worth it. If you need someone to talk to about what you're struggling with, or want to talk about anything else, let me know. I'm here for you, for real. Appreciate you reading this. Future releases will always be better than the immediate satisfaction of an okay release.
Mahal,
Nathan
Twitter: @Nathan_A_Jones
Instagram: Nathan_A_Jones
sneakersandasavior@gmail.com
As a fan of sneakers, you have decisions to make - which pair do you buy. Some collectors make this decision weekly, while others are much less frequently facing this decision. Not every sneakerhead drops hundreds of dollars on sneakers every week. We have to ball on a budget. One of the more difficult decisions to make is when you have two pairs you want dropping back to back weekends. What do you do? Do you want a pair that you won't wait for? Do you like one more than the other? Are either worth it? What if a restock happens? Will you be mad if you get a pair this week but can't get a better pair in the future? Just a few questions to ask.
This is a great analogy to how Christians live. I'm going to be real in this, is that okay? The last year and a half have been tough. My biggest goal and my dream since I was six years old was to play college basketball. That's what I worked towards all year. I spent summers going to camps, playing in tournaments with my high school, spending thousands of hours at the Y, and even traveling to LA and Vegas and Seattle to try to get better. My summers were almost always filled with basketball. That's all I worked for. My sophomore year I started to have some knee pain, but it was never a big deal. It progressively got worse, but I kept playing. I was diagnosed with tendonitis, nothing to worry about. For over two years, I took four Advil before every time I played (which was a lot) and didn't think about it. I played football my senior year and was stoked for basketball season by the time it rolled around. Try-outs start, we're going through lay-up lines and I feel something like a tear in my knee. After practice, I couldn't even drive home. I had to call my parents. Immediately I freaked. How could this happen during my senior year? I end up sitting out for the first month of the season, changed pain killers and started playing in December. As the season progressed, I only played in games, and could no longer handle practicing. I decided before our State tournament that I could no longer handle playing further than high school because of the pain, so I knew that these could be the last games I play. We went into the season as the defending State champions, and got bounced out in the first two rounds. I ended up having knee surgery a year ago, finally after a doctor figured out what was wrong.
One of the hardest things for me is not playing. I played basketball since I was five years old. It was always a part of my life. So having that removed from my life has been one of the hardest things I've gone through. But this is the craziest thing. I know that what is around the corner is better than I can imagine. You see, God has a plan greater than what I could think of. God has a plan for you greater than you can think of. And while I could force it and find a way to get on a court, what God has in the future is better than me prying open a door and sticking my foot in it. There are so many verses that talk about this - Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28, Proverbs 3:5-6, John 13:7 could even be added into that.
Let this be encouragement to you. What you are going through will get better. What you are stressing about, trying to force to work, or what you are bummed about because it's no longer in your life will get better. There is light at the end of the tunnel. What I can tell you is this: being away from basketball is tough. I would kill to be on a team again, running lines, and playing games. But I wouldn't trade the route I'm on for the world. I've met some unbelievable people. Opportunities have come up that I never would have imagined. And God is working in Boise. Let God's plan be your plan. Proverbs 19:21 talks about this. Many are our plans, but it is His plan that prevails. Let His plan prevail in your life. It's better than you could ever imagine. I know that's true for my life.
Thanks for sticking through a post that might ramble and not mean anything to you. And thanks for letting me be real, be raw. It's not easy to trust that God's plan is better than mine. But man, it's worth it. If you need someone to talk to about what you're struggling with, or want to talk about anything else, let me know. I'm here for you, for real. Appreciate you reading this. Future releases will always be better than the immediate satisfaction of an okay release.
Mahal,
Nathan
Twitter: @Nathan_A_Jones
Instagram: Nathan_A_Jones
sneakersandasavior@gmail.com
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