by Gina Caswell Kelly
It is Super Bowl Week. To many, this may not seem like such a big deal, but to players, coaches, team owners and advertisers, it means a great deal. I am not a huge NFL fan for a variety of reasons. I labored for years under the impression that I was a Dallas Cowboy fan. Then one day, it dawned on me that I had, in fact, been a Tom Landry fan. Now, if I watch at all, it is usually to see a former Texas Tech player. Obviously, my team in this game is the Kansas City Chiefs. Well, let me rephrase that. My team is whatever team Patrick Mahomes is on. Yes, I will admit that I have jumped on the Mahomes band wagon and I do not care. I am happy to be there.
The thing about the Super Bowl is that it is the culmination of much work. Work that didn’t just start when the season started. Probably, to a man, the men playing in this game began their football careers as little boys in their front yards. Little boys with a dream. They started playing Pop Warner or some other kid league. They graduated to junior high and on to high school, likely receiving honors all along the way. These men cannot tell you how many hours they have invested in this sport to become the elite athletes they are today. For whatever level of play in which they were competing, they didn’t just show up and play. They had to invest the time to practice and to commit to it. They probably had to give up other things along the way to honor their commitment to practice and the playing of the game they loved.
They went on to the collegiate level. More time. More practice. Harder hits against bigger guys. But still they continued on. Probably most of them have missed a few games due to injuries. They may have had surgeries along the path. But still they continued on. Then the chance at a pro career came their way. Still more practice and more commitment of time. But, Sunday it will all be worth it. Sunday they will play in the biggest game of their careers.
It strikes me that this is much like the Christian life. The Christian life lived right. We commit our lives to Jesus. We attend church and read His Word. We talk with Him and listen to Him daily. Sometimes our commitment to Christ causes us to have to miss out on other things, but we continue on. Sometimes trials and problems come into our lives. But we trust our “Coach” and know that He will get us through. We play this game on the grand stage, in front of everyone we know. Living this Christian life of commitment to the Father day after day. Then, finally on that day, God takes us home. Home to that place that is a jillion times better than a Super Bowl. Home to that place of no more sorrow and no more suffering. Home to live in the presence of God forever.
Have you made that commitment to follow Christ? Have you joined the team? Are you working out daily, as a Christian and fully committed to living a life for Him? If you have not, you need to make that commitment today. We have no clue when our “Super Bowl” day will come. Be ready. It will make the difference.
