Seeking Time Survival Guide Tip #6: Pick a Side

Yes, it’s Superbowl Sunday, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!!! Super Bowl 45 is here…who are you picking?

I don’t have a dog in this fight, as the two teams I consider “MY” teams (Falcons and Seahawks) got taken out in the divisional playoffs. Even though my teams didn’t make it, I still think it’s important to pick a team when I watch the BIG GAME. I can’t stand it when someone says, “I don’t really care who wins. I just want to see a good game.” I can’t watch football unless I care who wins. I need to have someone to pull for or it’s not interesting to me.

I don’t know how you pick your teams. You might look at player stats, where players went to college, or coaches. You might pick your team based on the current line-up of players. Or maybe you pick the team most likely to win. As for me, I tend to look at the history and personality of a team over time. You know… it’s the personal story of a team I’m interested in. Where did they come from? What kind of a team are they? Who are they really?

The Green Bay Packers have been around since 1921 and have won three Superbowls, including the first two Superbowl games ever played. The Packers are famous for their grit, playing weekly on a real grass field called The Frozen Tundra in an open air stadium in Wisconsin. They stand apart from every other team in the NFL for two reasons. The first is that they are the only non-profit, community owned sports franchise in any professional American sport, resulting in a truly unique partnership between the fans and the players. No other team in the NFL has that same feeling of “family”. The other reason? I’ve got two words for you: Vince Lombardi, one of the most renowned coaches in history who led the Packers during their glory years in the 1960′s. It must be pretty inspiring for the players when the Superbowl trophy is named after their team’s most famous coach!

The Pittsburgh Steelers got their start in 1933 and have won a remarkable 6 Superbowls, 8 AFC Championships, and played in 15 conference championships. Football legends like “Mean” Joe Green, Lynn Swann and Terry Bradshaw all wore Steelers black and gold. Steelers have a reputation for being hardcore, mean, and a little dirty. Fans from near and far count themselves to be a part of the “Steeler Nation,” a rough and rowdy group of followers who are famed for their bad behavior. Fan behavior may be a little unpolished, but they are loyal; the Steelers have sold out every home game since 1972 to their towel waving supporters.

That being said, I’m going with the Packers. When I think of the Packers, I think of real football the way football used to be – tough, disciplined, no excuses, no whining, hard work and character.

So, what does all this have to do with Seeking Time? It’s just this… we have to pick sides every day. Right about now, your soul is trying to bargain with your spirit about the things you have been committing to the Lord. Your soul wants you to pick the easy route. It’s easier to stay undisciplined. It’s easier to avoid relationships. It’s easier to ignore the things in you that have kept you right where you are for years. Your soul tries to convince you that you can make it just the way you are; that you don’t need to change. It’s a trap, you see… if you choose to side with the soul, you won’t stay the same; you’ll go backwards. Once you’ve made a decision to seek God, you’ve made a decision to change. Change will come one way or another. You will either be transformed into the image of Christ as you seek Him through prayer, fasting, worship, and meditation of the Word, OR you will become more undisciplined, more detached and more disconnected as your soul conforms to the image of the world.

It’s time for you to pick a side….

“If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God.” ~Joshua 24:15 The Message Bible