One week from today, more of us will be gleefully gathered ‘round our televisions perhaps more than at any other time of the year. One week ago, the two teams facing each other in Super Bowl XLIX bested their opponents to qualify for the Big Game (… although for one, the typically accompanying, jubilant bubble of victory has been burst — or at least slightly deflated).
After last week’s conference victory — an outcome that certainly seemed highly improbable until the game’s final minutes — Seattle Seahawk quarterback, Russell Wilson was visibly moved. Note that the team had been dominated for all but the final two minutes of 60 minutes of play. Wilson had played poorly. With tears freely flowing, the young leader was interviewed on the sidelines by FOX’s Erin Andrews regarding the key to the team’s inconceivable comeback. Wilson said: “God is so good, all the time, man. Every time… Just making the plays at the end. Keep believing. There was no doubt, I just had no doubt. We had no doubt as a team… I just believe that God prepared me for these situations. God’s prepared our team, too, as well. Like I said, I’m honored to be on this team. I’m going to the Super Bowl again.”
Sports Illustrated’s Peter King caught up with Wilson later, asking how it felt to go from his worst game to arguably his best moment. Wilson elaborated further: “That’s God setting it up, to make it so dramatic, so rewarding, so special. I’ve been through a lot in life, and had some ups and downs. It’s what’s led me to this day.”
As is typical in a culture that gives increasingly less credit to the holy and divine, Wilson’s acknowledgement prompted a significant reaction. From the immediate scoffs to the “must-we-talk-about-God again” to those who chose to instead criticize the interviewer, Wilson was mocked for his humble response. (Note: the critical expressions were heard just under the whiz echoed by the Patriots’ deflation.)
I understand the argument… “C’mon… God’s got bigger things to care about…” “Do you really think God loves the Seahawks more than the Packers?”… or as Wilson’s Packer counterpart, Aaron Rodgers, responded, “I don’t think God cares a whole lot about the outcome. He cares about the people involved, but I don’t think he’s a big football fan.”
Truthfully, I think each of those responses are valid… God does have bigger things to care about. I would only add that we can’t fully define God via our human, limited understanding. While God certainly understands issues of life and death and those big things that pain us and make us realize all that pales in comparison, his awareness and role is not compromised by the perceived level of Earthly significance. He is capable of caring about both the troubling and the trivial, the major and the minor, the significant and the silly, and everything in between.
Does he care about one team or one person more than another? That makes me chuckle; he loves us all. While he certainly recognizes our individual gifts (uh, he made us), those individual strengths in addition to our weaknesses, abilities, and even lack of ability are no reflection of how much God loves us… not even of last year’s last place Buccaneers.
I think the reality is — and maybe I’m out on editorial limb here — but I don’t believe God puts as much value on winning as we do. With all due respect, I disagree with the Packers’ Rodgers. God is a football fan… but God is also a hockey fan, scrap-booking fan, baseball card collecting fan, reading and writing fan… he’s a fan of whatever his people are involved in. And as wise as only the God of the universe can be, he teaches and leads in both the winning and the losing. My sense is he knows there is a blessing in both. The question is if we’ll see it, too.
Respectfully…
AR