Football and God

 

I wouldn’t consider myself a huge football fan necessarily, but of all the sports, it is my favorite to watch.

I do, however, consider myself a huge Seahawks fan. Especially when we have a quarterback like Russell Wilson playing for us.

Russell Wilson is the NFL quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks.

Well known for his christian faith, Russel is frequently seen on the field praying with his team, and glorifying God at the end of each game; win or lose.  

As protocol, Russell is often called upon to give a quick post-game interview, recapping the plays of the game. Both good and bad.

But there was one interview, in particular, that gave me all the *feels.*

In this particular interview, Russell was asked why he threw the last play to Jermaine Kearse. Kearse had clearly made several mistakes during the game, almost costing us the win.

Russell’s response to the interview question was epic!

He stated that he continued to throw the ball to Kearse throughout the game, because he knew what he was capable of. Despite the bad plays he had previously made, ( and I think we can all agree that there were some bad plays), Russell knew what Kearse could do! He believed in him.

Russell continued to say that right before the last play of the game, he looked out across the field, locked eyes with Kearse, pointed to him, and confidently said, “I’ll be looking for you. I’m going to keep coming back to you, and we’re going to find a way to win the game. You’re going to bring us home.”

And boy, did he!

As I listened to this interview, I could not help but think that this is exactly the way God is with us! Time after time, we make mistakes. We fumble the ball, (or if you’re like me, you completely drop the ball, and fail to recover it at all). We make one bad play after another.

We start to doubt ourselves, and before long, begin to believe that we can’t possibly recover.

But if we would stop wallowing in our own self-pity long enough to look UP, we would most certainly see God waiting for us with open arms, ready to throw us another ball.

Because He knows what we are capable of.

He believes in us, even when we don’t believe in ourselves.

Sometimes, (most times), we are our own worst enemy. #worstenemy #grace Share on X

 

Too often, we judge ourselves harshly. We refuse to let go of the past. We refuse to look beyond the here and now, to what could be, and more times than not, we hold ourselves in contempt.

But as believers, God Himself has washed our past clean; given us a fresh, new slate.

That is good news!

 

I don’t know about you, but I am SO thankful for a God who never gives up on me! Who never declares my sins too great to be forgiven. Or remind me of my many mistakes.

Who never judges me harshly, based on my previous failures, and never stops throwing me the ball, despite my prior fumbles. 

And He certainly never stops believing in me.

No. Not my God.

My God says, “because I love you, and I believe in you, I will not give up on you. I will continue to encourage you onward, despite the countless times you fall short.”

He is always waiting for me with open arms and a fresh, clean slate.

Thank you Jesus, that there is nothing in heaven or on earth which can separate me from your great love!

“Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:39

 

Curious how that famous football game ended? Here’s a clip from an article found in the local newspaper.

“Despite several interceptions in the Seahawks NFC title game, Russell Wilson kept throwing the ball to Jermaine Kearse, who eventually scored the dramatic game-winning touchdown against the Packers in overtime!”

The Seattle Seahawks were headed back to the Superbowl!

The crowd went wild; erupting in magnificent applause!

The same way I imagine the throng of angels will erupt in applause when, like Kearse, we eventually make a game-winning, destiny-changing play!

 

Can you hear them too?