A friend of mine recently wrote this:

“And in life, I figure, you are going to pretty much do the things that make you feel good about yourself, make you feel important and on purpose, and walk away from things that make you feel like a loser.”

Smart guy he is. It seems like an over-simplified life statement that most people of faith would call a “cop-out”. I think that it is stunning in both its truth and its simplicity.
About a week ago I went to a father/son paintball event. It was one of those times when men act like boys and boys act like men. There were discussions fit for only male ears.
“Hope I don’t get hit in the nuts.”
“That’s why I’m wearing a cup.”
“You’re wearing a cup?!? Dad, should I be wearing a cup?!?”
“No one is allowed to shoot anyone in the nuts!”
It was old guys against young guys and even though we unleashed a fury of 185 MPH paint at their young arses that was akin to Armageddon. They kept coming back for more. We kept saying, “Are you sure you want it to be Dads against kids?” And they kept saying, “We’re gonna beat you this time.”
In the end…we killed them, 5 games to 1, but you could tell that they felt on top of the world, they felt good about themselves, important and purposeful. No one had handed them anything that day, they snatched defeat with their own hands. The conversation on the way home was predictably boyish and juvenile, “Did you see when So-and-So took that shot to the back of the head?” As my son and I drove the long drive home he fell asleep next to me and I thought, “I’m so glad no one got hit in the nuts.”