by John Shirk

A Lesson from the NFL

I’m a fan of NFL football and the San Francisco Forty Niners. Every Fall, I enjoy watching men who have devoted their lives to becoming the best football players in the world display their talents on the gridiron.

NFL training camps are wrapping up and the season is about to begin. Brandon Aiyuk, one of the Forty Niners star players, has been sitting out practices and games during the preseason in hopes of negotiating a contract extension. He has been in training camp and has attended team meetings.  I imagine he has been spending time in the weight room working out. I suspect he has continued watching film and memorizing the playbook. While I was writing this, I saw a report that Aiyuk had signed a new deal and will be reporting to practice.

But there is still concern among those of us who follow the Forty Niners. As important as it is to attend meetings, hit the weight room, watch film and memorize the playbook, the only way to get in football shape is to practice and play football. There is no other way to gain skills, perfect timing, and develop the muscle memory and football instincts needed to react appropriately during a game. The concern is that by sitting out, Aiyuk will not be as prepared to play in the regular season as he would have been had he been with the team practicing and playing during the preseason.

Let’s talk discipleship.

If we want to be transformed to be like Jesus we need to be with our coach (Jesus) and the team (His Church) practicing and playing the game. We can attend team meetings and study the playbook that says to love God, love our neighbors, and even love our enemies. But love is a team sport. If we want to become people who love God, love our neighbors, and love our enemies like Jesus, we have to be on the field practicing and playing with the players, listening to the coach. Only then can we learn the skills and develop the muscle memory and instincts to react appropriately in the game.