Moving On and Moving Up

It was a time of decision for Ruth - she had lost her husband, and her mother-in-law, Naomi, was encouraging her to go back to her own people. But, we find a stunning display of loyalty by Ruth in chapter 1 of the book of Ruth:
16 But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.
17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me."

Ruth's dedication to Naomi resulted in the expression of God's will in her life - they went to Bethlehem and met a man named Boaz; Ruth and Boaz fell in love, had a son who became an ancestor of David, then later, Jesus.  And, even that relationship demonstrated the love of Jesus for His people.  We don't always know what God is doing, but we can be convinced He has a plan, and desires for us to follow Him wholeheartedly, saying to Him, "wherever you go, I will go."

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There was a reduction that was occurring around the earthly ministry of Jesus, as we find in John 6 - responding to His tough and challenging words, some chose a different direction. We can read there:
66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"
68 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

The 2022 NFL season is underway, and while there never seems to be an absence of storylines in professional football, one constant can be found in what has been a rather turbulent first two games for one particular franchise.

That would be the Denver Broncos, a team that has won Super Bowls with John Elway and Peyton Manning, who since the latter graduated to a recliner making comments with his brother on Monday Night Football, has been mired in somewhat of a quarterback wasteland.  Elway, who is in management for the team, had brought Manning into the Mile High City after the experiment with Tim Tebow that yielded some limited results but was really never given a long-term chance, decided to bring another legendary QB into the fold for this season to try to improve the Broncs' postseason chances.

That would be Russell Wilson - who debuted on Monday Night Football against his former team, the Seattle Seahawks, in their place.  Denver came away with a controversial 1-point loss and rebounded this past Sunday against Houston.  

But, if there's one thing constant about Russell Wilson, it's his lack of resistance to speaking out about Jesus Christ.  After the Seattle game, SportsSpectrum.com reported:

He said he wasn’t bothered by the boos he received, viewing them as part of the reality of the offseason trade that sent him from Seattle to Denver after spending the first 10 seasons of his career with the Seahawks.

“They may cheer for you. They may boo you,” Wilson said after the game. “They’ll love you one day, and they’ll hate you the next. That’s sports. At the end of the day, I’m going to keep competing. I’m going to keep battling. I know who I am. First of all, I think for me, I’m just grateful God’s given me the chance to play this game.”

The article also notes that, "Despite the loss, Wilson led players from both teams in a prayer on the field after the game and later sent a tweet thanking God." The content of the tweet: "God I thank you for it all! You are worthy of ALL my Praise!"

After the game, Wilson also said: “I gave everything I had every day [with the Seahawks] … and God brought me somewhere else,” adding, “I’m here, I’m in Denver, and I’m excited about it. I’m excited where we’re going. I’m just grateful. I give the glory to God because He’s given me the gift of playing this game.”

The article stated:

The nine-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion left Seattle confident he gave his all to the organization and is now embracing this new chapter of his NFL journey while keeping his focus on the Lord.

“It’s all for His glory, and His glory alone,” he said Monday night. “It’s not for anybody else’s. I play for an audience of One, and that’s just for Him. And so, I’m just grateful I get to be with these guys in this locker room. I’ve been around some amazing teammates in the past, and I’ve got some amazing teammates currently.”

Wilson is the most recent recipient of the character-based Bart Starr Award, which is selected by the players.  It is presented at a Super Bowl breakfast by the Christian organization, Athletes in Action.

A pre-breakfast special was presented online and hosted by fellow believer, James Brown of CBS Sports. Sports Spectrum reported:

The online event concluded with a conversation between Brown and Wilson. At the end, Brown asked the nine-time Pro Bowler what encouragement he would give to those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ to begin following Him.

“I want to speak life into anybody who may not know who Jesus is at this moment,” Wilson said. “But He knows you and He loves you, and He’s wildly obsessed with you.”

He went on to explain that God already knows what the future holds and is ready to accept everyone with open arms.

“He’s a God of miracles,” Wilson said. “He’s a God of healing. He’s a God of forgiveness. He’s a God of love. He meets you right where you are and honestly, He’s already ahead of you.”

You could say that our lives can be divided up into chapters, or seasons - some of those seasons can be productive, others can be challenging.  We will experience jubilation, disappointment, sorrow or pain. But, wherever we go, we can know that God goes with us.

And, we have to pay attention to His voice.  By His Spirit, He will lead us into the way that He desires for us to go - change is a fact of life, it seems, but the constancy of God's presence is a reality for each of us.  Russell Wilson commented on tuning out other voices and focusing in on God's plan for His life and who God has made him to be, saying, "At the end of the day, I’m going to keep competing. I’m going to keep battling. I know who I am..."  Are we listening to the voice of the crowd, the cheers and jeers of the world, or are we tuned in to God's frequency?