“Look up! Look up! Keep your eyes up!”
Was the instructions from my football coach at training one night as we completed a training drill.
“You’ve got to look up and keep your eyes up, being able to see what is ahead of you down field. You can’t just be looking at the ball right in front of you.”
The instructions came through a drill as we moved the ball from one end of the field to another as a playing group. Once you have possession of the ball it is so easy to get caught up with; the ball, how you’re holding it, which defenders are nearby ready to snatch the ball off you, and what you are going to do with it. Most team sports are about one ball in a field of multiple players – the attention on the ball is of everyone on the field.
The instructions to “look up” and to look down the field meant much more opportunities were present. More so than what was directly in a players initial field of view.
In life it is easy to get caught up in the busyness of life or what is going on around us, that we can forget to ‘look up.’
Lockdown
At this present time many Australians are coming out of lockdown, New South Wales and Victoria have both recorded extended times in lockdown, being limited to a 5km or 15km radius.
This is a very limiting field of view. The realities of life have meant so much of life has been cancelled; family gatherings, social outings, community connections, viewing and participating in sport, retail shops, restaurants, gyms, travel.
It can feel like life has been restricted to the travel bubbles we are allowed, as we have had to shift our focus to what is appropriate during these times, however these are limiting.
Christmas, only a few weeks away now, can seem insurmountable to some at this point in time. Being able to travel to meet family, interact in large social gatherings, enjoy mealtimes and celebrations out, these have been outside our field of view it can be hard to re-focus.
King David
In the Bible Paul reminds us in Colossians to “Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.” Ephesians 3:2
In the Psalms King David encourages himself, and us, to seek true help from God “I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.” Psalm 121: 1-2.
During these times, King David, instead of relying on man’s strength for battle, was calling on the Lord to help fight for him. David was asking himself where his strength comes from, it was higher than what the mountains provided (strength of man).
Look Up in Life
The instruction I received from my sports coach is a good reminder for life: Look up. The reminder that whatever you are facing, and whatever circumstance you find yourself in, looking up, shifting your focus, can help you see opportunities available in life.
Whatever our current circumstances around us will have us believe, looking up, especially to God, will help us see the opportunities before us.
Philippians 4:8 reminds us to think about things “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy.”
Kelly Thompson is the newest member of the Sports journalist team. Kelly currently plays AFL for Casey Demons in the VFLW, and practices what she preaches as a HOPE (Health, Outdoor, and Physical Education) Teacher in Melbourne’s southeast.