I love watching (and napping through) football. All I need is a 135-degree angle and low volume and I am out for a good 1-2 hours. Yesterday’s games were exciting, full of great and not-so-great plays, and very entertaining. I was awake for the last quarter of the Kansas City-Baltimore game and saw the final play, so I decided to listen to the short aftergame interviews. Patrick Mahomes, who I think is not only an incredible athlete but also an amazing person, said that “God put a lot of adversity in our way this year, and we accepted the challenge and are better for it.” I have heard him speak of his faith before, and I am all for it. The more positive role models (to counteract the negative ones) we have speaking of faith, the better. But this statement, heartfelt and sincere as it was, reminded me of so much that is wrong with religion. Am I to believe that God is in charge of football now?
This way of thinking is dangerous in so many ways – not in football, but in life. I know that fans care if their teams win, but in the scheme of things, sports results have little significance in life, compared to what really matters. In other aspects of life, however, this kind of thinking can lead us to do terrible things. What if, for example, I believe that God is in control of who is elected president? If the person I want isn’t elected, could this lead me to, say, storm the Capitol Building? Claim the election results are fake and try to dismantle democracy? If God is in control and things don’t work out my way, would I then believe that I need to correct this travesty of justice by any means necessary? If I believe that God is in control of my life, and I don’t get a job I have interviewed for, would I then go after the person who denied God’s will and hurt them? Does any of this ring true?
Believing that God will always help us to win is delusional and dangerous. Believing that our victories are God’s victories is the opposite of faithfulness. God is with us whether we succeed or not, and our faith community should be too. the Apostle Paul wrote that “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” (1 Cor. 12:26) The idea that faith in God will always enable us to win isn’t just a fool’s errand, and it sets us up for unnecessary pain and suffering in life. God is not to blame, and God is not in control, but God has given us tools to work with and free will to make the best choices possible. God has done the same thing for everyone else. What Mahomes is saying is that the Chiefs are God’s team of destiny (another false concept), but they needed to be tested first to make them better. That cannot be proved or disproved; it is a matter of faith. And it is, based on Scripture and reason, wrong.
I believe God wants us to be happy, and God wants us to live in peace and harmony. I think God wants us to stop waging war on each other and not blow each other up with nukes. God does not decide when we live or die – God does not give us more money or enable the quarterback to throw more touchdowns. God weeps with us when we feel loss and laughs with us when we feel joy. And God calls us to be with one another through good and bad times. God isn’t a gumball machine – God is our compassionate friend. Let’s stop blaming God – God doesn’t deserve that kind of foolishness.
Prayer – Holy God, continue to help us through difficult times and inspire us to thank You at all times. Thank you for being our friend. Amen.
Today’s art is “The Love of God” by Sabrina J. Squires.