College Football and God?

This article is not necessarily what you may think...If you do not believe in God, or are not a Christian, I am not trying to force anything on you. I am sharing a powerful story that I recently experienced.

No, I do not believe God wanted Auburn to win and Georgia to lose last night.  On Auburn's last play, when Nick Marshall threw the ball over 50 yards and it was tipped by a Georgia defender (Harvey-Clemons) into the hands of an Auburn player (Louis), it may have seemed like God intervened.

Understandable. But, I do not believe God intervenes in college football in that manner. 

That's not to say you can't take messages from God via college football though. It's no secret that I'm unbelievably passionate about college football. Perhaps, significantly more so than most. Whereas others are entertained through art, music, shopping, or theater, I am primarily entertained through sport. And, so are a lot of my friends and family.

A very close friend of mine, Tyler Shugart, had an epiphany during last night's game. Right before Auburn's last drive, when Aaron Murray put the Bulldogs ahead after trailing the entire game, Tyler sent me a text that he felt moved by God through the game, regardless of whether Georgia won or not. 

Tyler and I at Jordan-Hare on Friday

I was not sure what he meant at the time, but it started to make me think about messages I can learn from college football, as related to Christianity...

During the game, I was sitting around a few obnoxious Auburn fans. NOTE: I am not calling all Auburn fans obnoxious; so, don't take it that way. Every fan base, including Georgia, has obnoxious and rude fans. I just happened to be sitting by some of Auburn's. 

More specifically, an Auburn fan during halftime walked up to me, waved to me, and yelled War Eagle. I was doing nothing to provoke him or anyone, yet I received this message, intended to irritate me - and, it did. Another Auburn fan beside me kept talking loudly to his wife about how this Georgia fan (me) beside him was gonna leave really early because Georgia was gonna get smashed in the second half. None of the things Auburn fans did were significantly bad or rude, it was just frustrating to already be upset about your team losing and then have some people around you mildly rubbing it in when you're not even provoking them.

Fast forward to when Aaron Murray ran in for the touchdown to put Georgia ahead. I must admit, after Georgia scored, I came up with about 5-7 things to say, most of which were pretty dirty, to the Auburn fans around me when Georgia would win the game. However, after Tyler sent me the text about his epiphany related to God, I reflected and my attitude changed a bit. I went from seeking revenge and making obnoxious comments myself to wondering why I attended college football games in the first place.

I attend college football games ultimately to be entertained and for another reason which I will share in a minute - not to seek revenge against other fan bases and to put others down because my team won.  Acting in an obnoxious manner to Auburn fans certainly does not reflect how a Christian would act either. So, even before Auburn's miraculous play, I thought about how my actions in a college football setting could better reflect who I am as a Christian. 

So, what's the major take-away here? No, I am not advocating that you become a college football fan to learn more about your walk with Christ. But, identify what you are really passionate about. Whether that's music, art, music, shopping, theater, or sports, how can you seek lessons and learn from God through your passions? 

Tyler, who is about to travel to 11 countries in 11 months to invest in others through mission, told me after the game that he learned to never give up. Tyler indicated the amount of endurance and commitment it will take for him to travel to 11 countries in 11 months. He noted that while watching the Georgia game, he reflected and thought about all the adversity he will face, but to keep fighting, as Georgia did, even though you may not win every battle. 

So, how can you learn and seek lessons from your passions. For me, college football is not just about football...

It's about friends like Tyler sharing his epiphany after the game, it's about spending valuable time with my Dad and his wife Melissa or discussing the game with my Mom on Sundays, it's about catching up my cousin George and his wife Rachel the night before the Auburn game, it's about my friend Stephen and I always talking about Auburn and Georgia and our views on college football, it's about enjoying family rivalries with my Uncle Greg, it's about Jeremy and I tailgating and blogging, its...about...community.

My Dad, Melissa, and I before the game