God and Football

For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Galations 2:19-21

So many children of God live a defeated life. Their marriages are a sham, they fight addictions, they are fundamentally unhappy. To compound the problem, they beat themselves up because of their continual struggle with sinful desires. They scream with the Apostle Paul "Oh wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of sin and death?" We believe (incorrectly) that God as unhappy with us.

But, God does not want us this way. He does not want His children unhappy. He does not want us laden with guilt. He has "given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness." (2 Peter 2:3).

If this is true, why are so many so miserable? If Christ lives in us, what is the reason for the unhappiness?

A lot of the frustration lies in the fact that we are trying to get our fleshly nature to behave as opposed to letting Christ live through us. As the Apostle Paul recognized, there is nothing good in our flesh. So, beating it into obedient submission won’t work. Paul taught a secret that often eludes us - God’s pleasure is centered on Christ living in us not on obedient flesh.

That last sentence sounds weird doesn’t it? How do you let Christ live through you? How do we stop trying to perform for Christ and start letting Him through our hands, our feet, our minds?

The answer is: focus.

I have a deep and abiding passion for Georgia football. If my wife would let me, I would decorate our home in bulldog paraphernalia. We would have bulldog coasters, bulldog glasses, bulldog blankets. We would be immersed in a sea of red and black. Yes, I eagerly anticipate the coming of fall, because among other things, it means football season is about to begin and I will have a weekly date with my beloved bulldogs.

Yet, I was not born with this passion. It was developed. But where?

Some of my fondest memories of childhood are the times my Dad would throw the football with me. Every few nights, we would go outside and run pass plays. Even now, when I throw a football with a friend, I am warmed by those memories.

The joy that I experienced at those times, was not born of a perfectly thrown pass. It did not come from understanding the science behind the spiral throw. It was not related to whether I dropped the ball or caught it. No, it was something else.

The joy that I experienced came from the time I spent with my father - loving and being loved. Likewise, Dad didn’t care if I caught the ball. He just enjoyed being with his son.

There were times when it was good to think about the mechanics of a perfect spiral pass because it led to a greater enjoyment. But, such enjoyment still derived from the fellowship - on whom I was with - not on the mechanics of pass.

As the years progressed, we would listen together as the Dogs played. I would watch my Dad’s joy at job well done and I would mirror that joy. Soon, I came to experience the same joy - I no longer had to mirror the joy it because I was experiencing it myself. I understood why Dad was happy and I was happy for the same reason because we both knew and appreciated the skills involved.

In similar manner, when I focus on perfection in my Christian walk, I lose my joy. Additionally, if my view of God is that He demands perfection of me, I will lose my joy. The mechanics of my obedience, is good because it leads to greater enjoyment of God’s fellowship. But, I should never lose focus of the purpose of that obedience. When I do, I lose sight of the reason for the obedience - greater fellowship with the One I love and the One who loves me.

As the Lord brings me along in my Christian walk, He wants me to focus on His fellowship. He asks me to abide in it, to continually look to Him. And, if I focus on that fellowship as opposed to the mechanics, I will soon mirror the absolute joy that He takes in me. I won’t suffer misery any longer because I am spending time with my Father. And, He loves me.