The Bungee Cord  2-6-19

Hello,

     In my younger years I was involved in lots of sports: baseball, football, basketball.  We lived kitty corner from an open park in my home town where in our elementary school years we would play touch football and argue about getting touched or not.  We would play a variety of baseball games, Piggy Move Up, for one.  We would gather at the basketball hoop and pretend that we were stars.  It was a time when kids could just play pick-up games, and sports camps were unknown.

     As I got older the pick-up games were replaced by organized athletics.  Practices came into play, “non-mandatory” open gyms were “encouraged”, as was spending a week at a summer basketball camp.  There was a sense of satisfaction in becoming better at sports, and as the level of competition rose, there was a thrilling rush of excitement when things got close and victory happened.

     But with the rise of competition and organization, so rose the pressure.  Not necessarily a bad thing, as learning how to deal with pressure is a very important learning in life.  But with relentless application of that pressure, that which was meant to also be a game, easily expanded into what seemed as matters of life and death.  It almost seemed that the future of the world, or at least my world, was dependent upon completing a pass, sinking a free throw, or striking someone out.  One’s teammates were counting on you.  Your school was counting on you.  Your town…your state…your nation….even the world (I know….I am wandering into a bit of exaggeration….but sometimes it would seem all too real)….was counting on you!

     There was a name for the one who blew it, and that name was “goat”.  The goat. That was the name that was given to the person who was the cause of defeat.  I don’t know why a goat was chosen to embody all the shame of losing, but I do know this, no one wanted to be the goat.

     But things have changed in the world of sports since my days of playing.  Now, everyone wants to be the goat….G.O.A.T., that is.  It’s an acronym, and the letters stand for this acclaim…The Greatest Of All Time.  Maybe you heard of this acronym a long time ago, but for me it is new.  I began hearing it this summer in reference to baseball players who seem to be head and shoulders better than their peers, but most recently, I have heard it in reference to Tom Brady, Super Bowl champion and quarterback.  The G.O.A.T. Announcers, fellow players, and analysts have all, over the last week, bestowed upon Tom Brady, the title of the G.O.A.T.

     Personally, I find a bit of arrogance in the bestowal of this title, the arrogance in assigning greatness to a specific day that rates above the greatest of other days.  Great as he may be, it seems a bit hyperbolic to say that Tom Brady is the greatest football player…or quarterback of all time.  Nevertheless, it seems that the world we live in is always looking for greatness, working for greatness, and even expecting greatness, and you and I can get caught up in the tantalizing pursuit of working hard enough, sacrificing enough time and money, and focusing our efforts singularly enough that we might at least be in the running for the G.O.A.T.

     But what if I were to tell you that getting caught up in the pursuit of being the G.O.A.T. is a waste of your time….not a waste because striving for excellence is a waste of time….but it is a waste of time because you already are the G.O.A.T., at least to God.  “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called CHILDREN OF GOD, and that is what we are.”  (1 John 3:1). What in all of creation could be greater than to be acclaimed a child of God Almighty?  What greater accolade in all of time could there be than God’s crowning deed for you, that he gave his Son to die for you?  What greater honor could there be than to be given a seat at the divine banquet table and a place prepared for you in God’s eternal home. To me, it makes the title of G.O.A.T. for a football player seem like a Little League trophy compared to the title of G.O.A.T. that is bestowed upon the children of God.

     And what is even greater is to know that this title is not given to anyone by virtue of their greatness, rather it is placed upon people because of God’s greatness….greatness of the exploding love from the heart of God. Jesus died and rose for you…for the world, so in God’s sight you are a G.O.A.T. who is part of uncountable flock of G.O.A.T.’s., and that, unlike the debate if Tom Brady really is the G.O.A.T., is undebatable.

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace. (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger