The words usually come at just the right time!
Usually, a tense situation has risen and time is of the essence.
Pressure is mounting.
The muscles around your neck and shoulders begin to tighten.
A decision must be made…..An action must be taken……
At just that moment someone close to you speaks absolute poetry into your ears. The words enter your ear canals and sink directly into your subconscious. A feeling similar to courage begins to build somewhere deep in your chest…….
——————————————————-
Every one of us have experienced those moments in life. You may be about propose to the woman of your dreams. You may have been given 24 hours to decide on a job offer. You may finally have the opportunity to buy that house for your family. Better yet, you may be in the surf zone in Coronado, California. Whatever the situation, you are on DEFCON 5 and your senses are fully engaged. Fear is a real thing and you can feel your heartbeat through your chest.
A friend, your spouse, or teammate is standing beside you and utters 4 words that connect you back to reality:
“I’ve Got Your Back!”
4….little….words! Four words that one uses to promise support mentally, spiritually, and if necessary, PHYSICALLY! Four words that communicate loyalty! Four words that speak a war-ready attitude and willingness to be your blind-side support.
The following story communicates one such situation. When life was beckoning and the moment arose for these young men to act……….someone spoke up and affirmed loyalty…..”he had his friends back”….
………heart and soul!
___________________________________________________
1 Samuel 14New International Version (NIV)
14 1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
2 Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron.With him were about six hundred men, 3 among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left.
4 On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. 5 One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba.
6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”
7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
8 Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands.”
11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.” 12 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.”
So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.”
13 Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. 14 In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.
“Im with you heart and soul!”
“Do all that you have in mind!”
……..I’ve Got Your Back!
Today, as your meditate on success and current events in your life…..ask yourself these questions. Focus on each word as your meditate.
-Have you ever had someone express their loyalty at just the right moment?
-In a moment of shear fear……have you received a call or text letting you know that you were not alone?
-Have you ever taken a step in faith when you knew someone “Had your Back!”?
-More importantly, have you ever felt compelled to give someone a statement of your loyalty?
Now, filter out distractions and define words such as loyalty, commitment, faith, and trust. What memories do these words spring up from your subconscious?
The following video is a clip from the movie “Act of Valor”. When I see this clip I am reminded that
Loyalty costs something.
Loyalty forces you to sacrifice…to be uncomfortable!
Loyalty mean commitment and keeping your word when it is the last thing you want to do……
Loyalty means honoring those you love and having the character to do the right thing!
Loyalty means not uses excuses!
So, in honor of my father and people who have served and are serving…..HOOOYAHH!
Gentlemen, if you have ever played ball for me……you have heard these words before as we take the field. You have yelled them at the top of lungs in pre-dawn hours in New York, Virginia, and countless other cities.
My family has heard these words over the years…..and like I tell my cousin Chris Clark before his shift as a police officer,
“I’ve Got Your Back!!! And You Have My Back! Do Your Job and Get Back Home Safe! I love you Cuz!”
Today, let that person know that “You have their back!” and like the armor bearer said to Jonathan in a moment that changed the world…..
7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
“I’ve got your back!”
#CoachKD
coachkd.org 