If you’re an avid NFL fan, like my wife and me, there’s nothing like playoff time. Although we typically go out to dinner Saturday evenings, we switched to Friday this past weekend so that we could watch all four playoff games on Saturday and Sunday. It’s the best of the best in the AFC and NFC. Most often the games don’t fail to entertain, regardless of whether your team (we’re Pittsburgh Steeler fans) is playing or not. Not only are the games engaging, but so is the company…my wife and I have a great time watching the games together.
What is It for You?
Is your experience the same as ours’? For you it could be baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer or hockey, high school, college, or pro. Maybe it’s not sports, but theater, dance, opera, or concerts. Or something else. What are the things in your life that really entertain and engage you…that excite you such that you rearrange your schedule to do them?
How Does It Impact You?
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but many people look at athletes and performers as their heroes, as gods. Their play and the play of their teams often impacts the mood of many fans, sometimes going into the next day, lamenting or celebrating yesterday’s game at the office cooler or coffee maker with coworkers.
So many of fans, whether attending the game or watching it on TV, pray to the god of NFL football. They are so engaged, so enthused, so affirmed in the wins, and so dejected in the losses.
I’m not saying that I don’t share in some of the above. I do. I truly like watching the Steelers and the other NFL teams. Of all the sports at all the different levels, with the exception of watching our kids do their sports and activities back in their youth, I most enjoy NFL football as my primary source of entertainment. That said, it’s different since God is now #1 in my life.
It’s Different for Me Now
I now understand that God made me for greatness and as such, I don’t need to look to others to affirm me or excite me. Conceiving of me thousands and thousands of years ago, God created me with a specific purpose, with special gifts and talents. He doesn’t make mistakes; He doesn’t make junk. I, like you, am a “10”. He made each of us in His image, as part of His grand plan…individually and as part of all of humanity. God loves you more than I’ll ever know, no matter what you’ve ever done. He wants you to be happy, to be fulfilled.
Since my conversion, a lot of things aren’t the same for me, including NFL football. I still watch it. I’m still entertained by it. But my life isn’t consumed by it. I don’t get out of it what I once did. Believe it or not, I now understand that there’s more to life than pro football.
Knowing who I am in Christ, I don’t need to look to the NFL or anything else with envy or to be affirmed. Neither games nor events make or break my days. I recognize that those star athletes and performers are all just people too, suffering with the same things as each one of us.
It’s knowing God’s unconditional love that has changed everything for me, now understanding that with it, the unimaginable is achievable. I now know that there is a path to peace, joy, and fulfillment and that God made each of us for GREATNESS, not based on what our favorite team does, but what He (God) does through us. Praise God….what a life!!!
Please comment to me at Mark@MarkJosephMinistries.com.
God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!