On Monday night I had the opportunity to be down on the sidelines for the Carolina Panthers practice at their training camp.  It was a fascinating experience.  I was amazed at the preparation and detail that had gone into preparing for those tremendous athletes to practice for a couple of hours.  As I watched these guys, I saw a lot of things that we need to apply in our daily lives as we seek to walk with the Lord.  Here are some of the lessons:

An Emphasis on the Value of Time – They did not waste a moment.  Every second was planned.  They run by a script and every drill, exercise and place was carefully selected for that practice.  They wanted to make the best use of the time.

An Attention to Detail – They worked on all the basics and took nothing for granted.  You could see it in the way they used their hands, placed their feet, held the ball or ran the plays.  They taped every single play so the coaches could review each player’s performance later.

An Awareness of the Plan – Every time the horn blew, the players knew where to go next.  They did not hesitate.  They did not know all the details but they all realized that they played a part in the overall plan and if they wanted to be a part of that team, they had to be in their place.

The Power of Encouragement – It was a hot evening and many of these players had been through training camp before, but there was a lot of encouragement on the field.  Not just from the coaches, but between the players.  They challenged one another and praised each other when they made a play.  They were competing and investing in one another at the same time.  It was as if they understood that if they helped someone else be better, it would make them better.

A Sense of urgency and a Passion for the Game – Football is only a game.  These guys are professionals and they are paid to excite us as we watch, but you could tell that they had a passion for the game.  The process has begun in trying to get to the Super Bowl and every moment could be significant.  You could feel a sense of urgency on the field, but it is still just a game.

We can talk all of these and apply them to our daily walk with the Lord.  What we do for Him has an eternal impact.  We are not paid like they are paid and we do not have people standing  around waiting to get our autograph, but The Lord gives us a chance to “make a play” that will change the life of someone else.  I pray that we will be ready.