Lessons from the Superbowl

Football is the American sport. I'm sorry to all those baseball fans, soccer fans, basketball fans, and the three hockey fans out there, but football is the greatest sport on the planet. From around September to February, we are graced with heavy pads, tall goal posts, and the chance to shout at the ref. It is a time that Americans can come together and fight about something we can all appreciate - large players tackling and beating the sense out of other players of a different uniform. What's not to love?

However, I am appalled at the shocking lack of football fans I come across at times. That is, I am amazed that anybody who is truly American would not like football. Although I respect their decision to be boring and forgo watching it, I still don't understand it. After next weekend (i.e. Superbowl XLV) ESPN will be forced to air all of the boring sports. Sure, we have March madness, but then what? Andre Agassi and Maria Sharapova? Baseball? Dancing with the Stars? Where's the blood, guts, and sweat in that? It will be a sad time when all my Tevo will record will be WEC fighting and the Ace of Cakes on the Food Network.

So where did this inset love for football arise in me?  I have no idea. Probably because I am a product of my environment. It's been a love I've had to cultivate, but I don't think I'll be losing this love any time soon. For years, I've stood behind my Pittsburg Steelers and less-than-spectacular-at-bowl-games Texas Tech. I also remember the first time I watched the Pittsburg Steelers go to the Superbowl. Rookie quarterback, MVP/record breaking Jerome Bettis, my hero Hines Ward, and Bill "the Underbite" Cower. We won, we celebrated, we partied, we yelled, we celebrated some more and then --

We waited.

For September that is, although, we might as well have skipped September. The Steelers went from an 11-5, Superbowl-winning record to 8-8, less-than-desirable season. It was awful. Disappointing. Pathetic. We didn't even grace the playoffs that year. My dreams of a repeat were dashed in the preseason!

Isn't life like that sometimes? We come off of an astounding, unbelievable season of our lives and enter in to an awful, disappointing, and miserable season just like that? Sometimes it feels that we are on top of the world; other times, we are at all time lows. And this back and forth, up and down, good and bad swinging makes us nearly sick! If you are like me during those times, doubt occasionally creeps up. We wonder, "Does God really know what he's doing up there? How does this help me at all?"

There was good news with the Steelers, though. We came back in 2007 with a 10-6 record, then to another 12-4 Superbowl-winning season in 2008. Of course, had that awful 2006 season never happened, we would have never traded players only to get an improved line. We would also never had replaced our tired coach with Mike Tomlin, who would later become the youngest coach to win a Superbowl in history. We would have never rethought our offense and changed our strategy. We would have never changed, we would have never gotten better, we would have never improved.

Sometimes, the crud we deal with in life is for the better. It doesn't always feel like it but in the whole big scheme of things, it is worth it. If you are like me, then you experience ups and downs every once and a while. Heck, if you're like anybody, you experience them. Sometimes they go on forever; sometimes they seem to never end! But God, in his great and awesome plan for you and me, has it all figured out. Even though we would like to be in a constant state of bliss, he knows that the only way to grow and the only way to be effective and reach the full potential of who we are, we have to go through cruddy seasons. It is how we grow. It is how we adapt. It is how God uses us in the most profound and miraculous ways. If we simply dwelled in those blissful moments, where would our testimony be? How would our faith be tested? How would we stay standing when some garbage is thrown our way? Despite those low moments we go through, if we cling to the God who is always faithful, we won't fall over when adversity comes our way.

So here we are, in 2011, facing Superbowl XLV as the Steelers gear up for the big game again. I will don my Steeler's jersey, towel, cups, hat, and socks and head off to the festivities. I'm usually not into sports analogies, but hey, it's the Superbowl - I'll make an exception this time. No matter what your season has been right now - an awesome "12-4" or a miserable "8-8" or an even more regrettable "4-12" (Sorry Bronco fans) - know that God has been planning, even before the off season, to take you to heights you couldn't imagine! Allow him to teach you, to coach you, and prepare you, because your season is fast approaching!

KB

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down!" -Philippians 4:6-7a (the Message)

Forgiveness When It Hurts

"Forgive, as God forgave you," isn't easy. I mean, that means actually saying everything's fine, and mean it, when it's really not. How ridiculous. I always thought that verse was regarding all those petty things that go on, like that nimrod who cuts me off on the freeway or lady who gives me a nasty look in Wal-Mart as I cross the crosswalk or even that guy who takes FOREVER at the Redbox deciding on what movie to get. That stuff is easy. I grumble, I feel bad, then I say, "It's all good." But when things get personal, it's not so easy. Such is the call in Colossians 3:13 that says, "Make allowances for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you..." It's a pretty basic scripture at face value, but here's why it's so difficult.

How do we make allowance for other's faults when our love for them has been betrayed?

In theory, it's pretty easy. Just say, "It's all good." But what if it isn't all good? Wouldn't it then be considered a lie? Thus, you would not only be lying but also be in unforgiveness? And wouldn't that lead to further lies, suppressed anger, possible hatred hidden in our heart? And if that was the case then wouldn't that be doubly sinning? And if we just shrugged it off, wouldn't we then be hiding hardness in our hearts, saving all the anger and/or disappointment in said loved one for a later day? 

See? It's not so easy anymore. 

In my quiet time this week, the reoccurring theme has been about forgiveness. At church, the sermon was over forgiveness. At Bible study, the theme was forgiving others. The Netflix movie I got in this week was... wait for it... Unforgiven with Clint Eastwood. I was detecting a slight pattern, and for good reason. This week has been a trying week as far as people go for me. I have felt trampled by a stampede of follies done by those I truly care about, beat up and left out in the cold over stupid stuff and it has left me a wee bit cynical and grouchy, and that is not something I want to foster! I want my inner self to filled with joy and peace and happiness and ice cream. Something has to be done!

So how do you really forgive someone in your heart and in your actions when the result of their problems have left you broken, alone, and disappointed? Is it simply enough to say, "It's all good," and try and direct the water under the bridge? Should we ignore it altogether and let bygones be bygones? Or, should we attempt to replace all of the brokenness with pieces of other broken things and mend it ourselves? 

To answer, I thought of the way Jesus forgave us for our betrayal through sin. After all, no matter what attrocities man commits on another man, it will never be like the fall man made between he and God by way of sin. And He forgave us through sacrifice, in what was indeed the humblest act a man can do. Likewise, as we are hurt by the arrows of others, our response should not be anger, but humility. We should not attempt retaliation, but sacrifice. I Peter 5:6 says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time, He might exalt you..." And somehow, through God's amazing and infinitely incredible ways, He will exalt those who humble themselves.

It still hurts, there's no doubting that. But when a friend or loved one betrays you with their love, it is only an opportunity to humble ourselves and allow God to piece the brokeness back together. Embarrassment or humiliation is one of the first things we feel when our trust or love is betrayed, and it may seem counter productive to humble ourselves even further, but it is God's way of exalting us up when the time is right even more. God told me today that I need to learn how to truly forgive others and put bad blood aside for him to deal with justly, and something that profound can only be accomplished when we are less, and He, is more.

KB

New Year's New Stuff

I jot this year's first thought of the blog down on my cellphone of all things. Its small keyboard and cracked screen means that my grammar will be sub par or at very best, horribly misspelled. But then again, who needs grammar or punctuation during this new decade? Pff, laptops are so last decade... I'm moving forward with technology, I'm conforming to the new wave of blog-ology. I'm blogging on the go!

But it is only the beginning of the changes this year. I have vowed to keep up with the times and even follow the trends - books with pages are out and Amazon Kindle is in, music from CD's belong on display in a museum, and only people stuck in the 00's still has a MySpace. We welcome a time where even the New Year's ball has LED, Hi-Def wattage and offers free Wi-Fi. I suppose in light of that, typing out the latest blog post on my phone doesn't seem so crazy after all.

Of course with all this change, there's bound to be people unsure or at least worried about what the future may hold. Who knows, maybe the Detroit Lions have a shot at the superbowl at this pace! Hopefully, though, I can alleviate some of those fears of the new year for you...
1) First the Detroit Lions have as good of a chance as I have of taking up Chinese mathematics. May your betting rest assured it won't happen.
2) Jay Leno is still on the AND we have Conan O'Brian. Fear not, we won't be stuck with infomercials before bedtime.
3) There are no major elections in 2011. That means fewer campaign commercials and lawn posters. This also means fewer free agent politicians. Who couldn't use fewer politicians milling about?

See, 2011 isn't going to be that bad!

But no matter what changes or lack thereof bombard our day to day groove, our God is as faithful as he was in 2010, as constant as he was in 1997, and as sturdy as he was in 1983. While it's hard with each passing year to remember that God is still in control, remember, he still is. It's easy with all the uneasiness, fear, and uncertainty at times to forget that God still looks after his creation and is faithful to us all.

I'm not worried about the new year. In fact, I think I may be excited for it. Who knows what may happen? Those Lions may take us by surprise and Leno may actually retire. Who knows? Life will keep rolling; trying to make it fit my own agenda, well that's vanity. Remembering God's faithfulness in every new year, for every new season; well that's truly living! Happy new year, and may the God of our yesterday put at ease the fears of our future, now.

KB

God as made everything beautiful in its season. Everything beautiful in its own season! -Ecclesiastes 3:11, loose translation