It's Thanksgiving week, which also means... once people are done with their turkey, many will settle in to watch their favorite teams play some pigskin, which means... it's also Iron Bowl week. The first time I cheered at the Iron Bowl was the last time it was played on Thanksgiving Day and in the days since then (as can be seen by the photos), I have come to love and appreciate the opponent against whom I once cheered. When it comes to football, I still cheer for my team... but now... I have reason to root for the other side as well. I'm not one to say, "I just hope both teams have fun." I wonder why those people even play the game. But I am here to say... it's interesting how one's position can change once someone you love takes a position you once didn't like. And now... let's talk football terms.
Offense: the position of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the purpose of scoring points... taking the lead... winning the game. Offense is also defined as an annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived insult to or disregard for one's standards or principles. It’s a position of trying to move the ball forward AND it is a posture we assume when someone does something upsetting to us. What’s ironic to me is... the things with which my heart takes offense can put me on the defensive... arguing to affirm I am right. My goal, once I am offended, is to somehow take the ball from my opponent... prevent them from gaining ground... win the game by overpowering them to the point of proving I am right. And when it comes to offense and defense in the game of life... you can't ride "da fence".
People may say that wearing my ring from Bama and my cap from Auburn puts me in a place of talking out of both sides of my mouth... but the game I'm most interested in these days isn't the one that's played on the football field. I care most about the strategies that are used for the saving of souls and I know we have an opponent who is studying our game film... watching and waiting for a moment when he can find our weak spots. He knows that if he can cause us to spew ugliness at each other over a football game, then he has the opportunity to wedge his way into other parts of our hearts. (1 Peter 5:8)
To some, this week is much more than a football game. It is a moment which both unites and divides people at the same time. To some, It is a religion whereby one team will gain bragging rights for the next year, at which time... they will have to again fight for the right to be right about who is the best in the Yellowhammer state. And that's why this game of life can be so offensive, at times. When people come at us... when they play offense, attacking and engaging us to try and unseat us from the throne that is the center of our world, we are faced with the reality that there is no such thing as self-salvation for the long haul. We have no defense other than the gospel which is, to some... offensive. But like it or not, the gospel "is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes." (Romans 1:16)
So cheer for your team. Either team... or both. But remember there is a bigger game to be played and there is a better reward than bragging rights that only last a year. Just Sayin'.
Roll Tide. War Eagle. Happy Thanksgiving. Go Team.
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 1:18
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