Super Bowl of the Soul

Today is Super Bowl Sunday. I’m not going to take sides or make any armchair quarterback calls today, but I’d like to make a Biblical sports analogy and talk about how to win the Super Bowl of the soul.

In any kind of sports contest, you may notice that athletes have intense focus. They never seem to lose sight of the goal. They are trained to drive toward what’s ahead. They sweat, they push, and they work as hard as they can to reach the end goal. And for those who press forward to the end, they enjoy the sweet taste of victory. Our Christian journey is much like that. We are all striving to reach the end goal—eternal life. In order for us to reach it, we have to make the right moves to get there.

It begins with training. Studying the Word of God and going before the Lord in prayer helps to strengthen our spiritual muscle. We are better able to endure when we are well prepared for the struggle ahead. Just as worldly athletes need a healthy diet to keep themselves in shape, as Christians, we should be careful about what we ingest. Do we allow ourselves to overindulge in spiritual “junk food,” or do we have a steady diet of good counsel, positive conversation, uplifting music, and pure thoughts?

On the field—that is our daily life—we have to keep our focus. Of course there are obstacles to face. Some opponents are easy to maneuver around. But sometimes we come across more fierce competition. We need to be careful not to get sidelined by the sins that may easily beset us. And by no means should we ever let them push us back! There are times we may get caught up and fall flat, but we need to get up and keep going. There may be scars, and there may be bruises, but they serve as a testimony of how God has brought us through even the most difficult plays.

To reach the end goal, we have to stay focused on what’s ahead. In Philippians 3:12-14, Paul says, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Are you running in such a way to get the prize? Are you headed toward the goal line? Press forward, never give up, and keep the faith!