Did you see that national championship game between Texas and USC? Wow! The Texas quarterback, Vince Young, was amazing! He put on the greatest performance by a single player that many of us have ever seen. I think he rushed and threw for 467 total yards. The game went back and forth and then came down to one final fourth down play where Young scrambled and scored to carry Texas to a victory. A billion people watching the Rose Bowl were stunned and breathless.
Beyond the entertainment value of such a performance, you’ve got to ask, “What will Young’s example inspire?” The extraordinary example of one person raises the bar on what we think is possible. David Bowie sang, “We could be heroes.” Within all of us throbs the possibility of more than just 15 seconds of fame, the possibility that we could actually do something heroic, as Bowie sings, “just for one day.”
Let me draw a parallel. Discipling is seeing this possibility in another person. It’s believing in some heroic and brave future version of another person. As parents discipling kids, we owe it to our children to believe that they could be heroes – that in their chosen field, and as disciples, they could carry the ball across the end zone on the last play. That coworkers will love being with them, that friends will be encouraged by them. That their actions will in some way amaze us.
Real love, Paul says to the Corinthians in his first letter, “believes all things.” Even some of the most steadfast Texas fans had stopped believing that they could win. Some of us need to practice believing in those we love, even when it seems to not make sense.
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Good piece, Seth. That game, and Vince’s heroics, were an inspiration. I really like college football because the difference between winner and second place is so often heart and will. We are called to believe in an enormous “what could be.” We are called to go and get it.
We saw a miraclethe Texas defense stopped the USC running juggernaut on 4th and 2. Couldn’t happen. But it did.
I felt like I ran out on the field with the offense and huddled with Vince Young, who said the unforgettable words, “Okay, let’s go get it guys.”
The defense has given us the ball. The prize is there. It’s ours to take, if we can find the heart and will to score.
When the Lord gave His life on the cross, he positioned us to win. Can’t you see Jesus drawing us over close? Can’t you see him lean over and say, “Okay, guys. Let’s go get it.”?
Suit up!