Several years ago, an NFL wide receiver dropped a pass in the end zone, late in the game. Afterwards, he tweeted
“I praise you 24/7!!! And this is how you do me!!! You expect me to learn from this??? How??? I’ll never forget this!! Ever!!”
This article from Josh Graves is o
bviously applicable not only in pro sports but every level of sports. Here is an excerpt:
Steven Johnson lined up as a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills. The Bills were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers and they ultimately lost the game because Johnson dropped a pass late in the game, in the end zone. After the game, Johnson tweeted, “I praise you 24/7!!! And this is how you do me!!! You expect me to learn from this??? How??? I’ll never forget this!! Ever!!”’
Johnson praised God 24/7, but what kind of God was he praising? It was a kind of religious transaction where he gives God the glory and God gives touchdowns. Or victories. Or Super Bowls. A fair exchange?
God ends up becoming a cosmic vending machine.
Everything is well and good until Jesus makes you fumble. But this isn’t just Johnson’s problem. This way of approaching God shows up often and the best name for it is religion. And notice who is really in charge of this arrangement. You and me. Not God…to paraphrase Anne Lamott: You know you’ve created God in your own image when God roots for all the same teams you root for (I’m looking at you Yankee and Cowboy fans)
Good words for us to consider as we approach our next competition and even pray before that event.
One other comment – sports have a way of cutting open and exposing our hearts like few other arenas of life. Steven Johnson’s heart got exposed by this sports event. His way of viewing God was now on display for all to see.
I don’t condemn Steven in this perspective. I just want to see it transformed by the gospel. This self-centered, transactional approach to God was there. Sports exposed it. Now it can be dealt with by the gracious Savior who said he came to “heal the brokenhearted.”
I agree with Josh Graves as he concludes – “As a basketball player turned minister, I’ve observed that sport and religion have one interesting thing in common: both tend to bring out the best and worst in us.”
