The Magic Jar

The Magic Jar

Photo by: Abdul Rahman

You may not know it to look at me now, but I used to operate with a constant undercurrent of rage, every day.  I used to go looking for things to set me off, Hulk-like, so that I could rant and roil and knock stuff around.

That's what made football the perfect sport for me to play.  It was officially sanctioned violence, which fed my id like a slab of freshly killed zebra feeds a hungry lion.

Naturally, the trouble came in controlling these impulses.  And, just as naturally, finding the right girl represented the first step toward that life-changing goal.

After having met briefly at a college fraternity party, I doggedly sought her out to spend more time with her.  She knew of my reputation as a hothead, and at first said she didn't want to go out.  But somewhere deep inside, where the truth lives, I knew she was the one.  So I didn't give up, and eventually we began our courtship.

Things changed for me after that.  Before long, she gave me a jar containing strips of Bible verses, and asked me to pick out a piece every day to read.  That exercise not only made me want to strengthen my connection with her, but it also began to open my eyes to a new way of thinking, believing, and living - one that had little room for rage and lashing out.  The timing could not have been better, as well, as my college football career came to crashing end due to injuries and subsequent surgery. 

That magic jar changed my life, serving up little slips of scripture day after day.  The heart changes first, then the brain.  Living based on love, not fear, makes all the difference.

Be well,

Eric