When is God good?
Steve Johnson, a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills has had a remarkable career this year. Not many people know him nationally. He was a seventh round pick, a nobody. Then, suddenly this season he makes 59 catches and scores 796 yards. He's doing great.
To what has he attributed his sudden success?
Apparently he thought he had a good luck charm. Somebody told him "as the praises go up the blessings come down." So, he started praising God continuously. It seemed to work for him and his season miraculously turned around. Then in week 12, Johnson dropped five passes in the Bills' loss to the Steelers, including a pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick that would've won the game for Buffalo in overtime.
Johnson was devastated. He blamed God! His good luck charm failed. He pulled out his phone and agrily typed in the following tweet to God:
"I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO..."
While Johnson's tweet raises eyebrows, there are millions like him, who really believe that simply praising God will mean health, wealth and success. They learn a few bible verses, attend worships looking for a magic "word"- that will immediately insulate them from trouble and guarantee success. When their lucky method doesn't work, they get angry with God!
In reality, we should give thanks to God for every situation because if God allows it to happen, it is what He wants for us, even if we don't understand. So we give thanks, anyway!
1 Thessalonians 5:18 puts it this way, In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Steve Johnson forgot about the 59 catches and 796 yards prior to week 12. He forgot all of the blessings that God has given him. Obviously, God is working a great work for him, even a blind man could see that! Everyone except Steve Johnson.
What he forgot in his rage is that God is still good, even when he throws a perfect pass into our hands and we drop them ball.
Showing posts with label Football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Football. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
He made an A in football, but failed everything else
He made an A in football, but failed all other subjects.
A young friend of mine is facing summer school again after earning grades of D and F in all of his subjects. He failed a full year of social studies, math, and science and made D's in all other subjects. However, he did earn an A in football.
The school will allow him to pass to the next grade if he enrolls in summer school for one of those failed subjects. He's tickled because he'll still get to play football in the 9th grade instead of spending another year in the 8th.
His mother wants to pull him out of athletics and focus on his academics but the coaches tell her that he is "athletically gifted" and should be allowed to play on the school's team. They are bending every rule to get him into high school so that this academically deficient student can demonstrate his athletic gifts and help the school win games.
The mother is frustrated. The son is disillusioned; he hears the coaches tell him that he can go all the way to the pros. He doesn't pay attention to the fact that nearly all NFL players are college graduates and all attended college to some length.
With D's and F's he won't get into college at all. Apparently that doesn't matter to some people, they plan to pass him along through his high school years. He will help the school win games but after he graduates, or gets too old, that's when they will dump him.
He loses.
My advice to her was to let him repeat the grade, pull him out of athletics altogether, and plunge him to a year long "catch up" crusade of special tutoring and instruction to help him get his head ready for life. It would be expensive and time consuming but by no means should she allow him to go forward without the proper academics. She didn't take my advice or similar advice from others.
Against her better judgment, the mother enrolled him in summer school to learn in a few days what he did not learn the entire year. She will also let him move into high school deficient in core subjects that will not get easier but harder. You see, the coaches convinced her that her son is athletically gifted and should not be deprived of his chance.
We have a responsibility to train and direct the paths of our children. They are children, they do not know what they need. We must train them to value knowledge, develop their talents and to apply themselves. If we don't do it when they are young, they will grow old having missed their mark in life.
This need for training is biblical. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
The young man can't see how he is being used. When he wakes up a few years from now and recognizes what has happened to him, he will be frustrated and angry with the world, his mother and his high school coach.
A young friend of mine is facing summer school again after earning grades of D and F in all of his subjects. He failed a full year of social studies, math, and science and made D's in all other subjects. However, he did earn an A in football.
The school will allow him to pass to the next grade if he enrolls in summer school for one of those failed subjects. He's tickled because he'll still get to play football in the 9th grade instead of spending another year in the 8th.
His mother wants to pull him out of athletics and focus on his academics but the coaches tell her that he is "athletically gifted" and should be allowed to play on the school's team. They are bending every rule to get him into high school so that this academically deficient student can demonstrate his athletic gifts and help the school win games.
The mother is frustrated. The son is disillusioned; he hears the coaches tell him that he can go all the way to the pros. He doesn't pay attention to the fact that nearly all NFL players are college graduates and all attended college to some length.
With D's and F's he won't get into college at all. Apparently that doesn't matter to some people, they plan to pass him along through his high school years. He will help the school win games but after he graduates, or gets too old, that's when they will dump him.
He loses.
My advice to her was to let him repeat the grade, pull him out of athletics altogether, and plunge him to a year long "catch up" crusade of special tutoring and instruction to help him get his head ready for life. It would be expensive and time consuming but by no means should she allow him to go forward without the proper academics. She didn't take my advice or similar advice from others.
Against her better judgment, the mother enrolled him in summer school to learn in a few days what he did not learn the entire year. She will also let him move into high school deficient in core subjects that will not get easier but harder. You see, the coaches convinced her that her son is athletically gifted and should not be deprived of his chance.
We have a responsibility to train and direct the paths of our children. They are children, they do not know what they need. We must train them to value knowledge, develop their talents and to apply themselves. If we don't do it when they are young, they will grow old having missed their mark in life.
This need for training is biblical. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
The young man can't see how he is being used. When he wakes up a few years from now and recognizes what has happened to him, he will be frustrated and angry with the world, his mother and his high school coach.
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