A few weeks ago, my students were working on a current events assignment when we got into a heated discussion about all of the latest coaches getting hired and fired in the NFL.
At some point during the conversation, one of my students said, “Man, Mrs. Bryant, you know a lot about football for a . . . “
He immediately caught himself and kinda looked sideways at me, a little nervous about what would happen next.
I flashed him my best death stare and said, “Cameron Jones, I dare you to finish that sentence.”
Cam just shook his head and started laughing,
“Nah, nah, Mrs. Bryant. That’s all I was going to say. You know a lot about football.”
Smart kid. I’d hate to think what would have happened to him if he had put “for a girl” at the end of that thought.
And he’s right. I do know a good deal about football.
That would be because from August until February, all Alex, Jackson, and Reeves talk about is football, football, football, namely their fantasy team. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they owned a real team by the amount of time they spend debating player stats, free agency, and injuries. But no, no . . . it’s a complete fantasyland they live in.
As we waited for our food at Home Team BBQ two Sundays ago, Adam Thielen, a wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, popped up on the big screen, prompting Jackson to comment, “Hey, we had him on our fantasy team, but we had to trade him away.”
When I asked Jack why they traded Thielen, he shrugged and replied, “Well, after three games, he was only averaging two points per game for us, so we had to get rid of him.”
That seemed pretty harsh to my mama heart. After all, it’s not like the poor guy hadn’t gotten them any points at all. And who’s to say he wasn’t going to crush it the next week?
As I sat there feeling sorry for Adam Thielen (and a little taken aback by GM Jackson’s heartless flippancy), I realized that unlike fantasy players, I am really lucky: I’m part of a team I will belong to for life.
As Christians, we can take comfort knowing God will never kick us off His team or trade us away. If we make our best effort to follow Him, we’re always on His roster.
In Psalm 103, David writes: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
Thankfully, God doesn’t dismiss us when we underperform. Instead, He offers us love and grace, inviting us back into His huddle time and time again.
This same promise appears in the New Testament as well.
In Romans 8, Paul reiterates David’s message: And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord (38-39).
Both of these passages prove an important truth: We mean something to God. He is a God of second chances . . . and third and fourth if need be. He longs for a relationship with each one of us, and He will never just cast us aside. That’s a promise as current and real today as it was over 2,000 years ago.
So, my friends, take heart, knowing that God will keep you on His roster week after week, no matter how your season is going.