Iadmit, I’m a Buckeye fan. If I’m not at work you will typically find me sporting some sort of Ohio State gear. So, understandably, I wasn’t crazy about the outcome of the Orange Bowl last night. Clemson played a great game, Ohio State did not. Yet, even with OSU’s soft defense, poor offensive play selection, and two turnovers, the Buckeyes were in position to win the game with just a little over a minute remaining, that is until Braxton Miller pulled an Art Schlicter…game over. (Let me say for the record, I’m glad Urban Myer didn’t pull a Woody Hayes!) Disappointed, I turned off the TV and enjoyed a great night sleep.
This morning I learned that some “Buckeye Fans” had sent nasty hate tweets to several Buckeye players, and my first response was sadness. This sadness didn’t come because my team lost the game, nor was I sad that some fans are simply ridiculous. I was sad because people put all of their hopes, and all of their confidence in things, or in people, or in teams that can never fully satisfy. So when those things, people, or teams don’t fulfill expectations, people are left empty, hopeless, and angry.
This is the futility of trusting anything and everything but Jesus. The world and it’s system is designed to disappoint. It’s designed to offer hope, but never make that hope reality. It’s designed to promise happiness and satisfaction, but never fully satisfy. Yet there is One who makes hope reality and brings joy and complete satisfaction, without fail. Jesus never disappoints. Jesus never leaves His followers empty. That being the case, it only makes sense to hope in Christ.
Does this mean that believers can’t root for their favorite team? No! Next September I’ll be back in the stands, rooting on my Buckeyes, and I’ll look forward to another great season. Many of you will also spend Saturday afternoons next fall rooting on your favorite team. But if our teams loose every game, our lives won’t be affected at all. Why? Because we enjoy football, but we follow Jesus.
