This last week as I sat reading an article in ESPN The Magazine I saw the gospel- or more specifically I saw the desperate need we have for the gospel. I saw one significant way gospel saturation or lack thereof affects life.

As you read the following quote, think about what salvation is for so many of these athletes. Consider what they look to daily as their Savior.

…what happens in the dark and empty parking lot behind the arena afterward, when you go home alone to the silence forever echoing after the cheering.

“I miss it so much,” says former quarterback Scott Mitchell (Fish, Lions, Ravens, Bengals), who retired in 2001. “I’m going to miss this for the rest of my life. Even the stuff I hated- training camp, practice. Nothing in life replaces it. I played for 11 years, and then it was just over. I would rather have had a career ending injury.”

And you thought playing football hurt? Not playing can sting more, which is why so many players need counseling and support groups for depression while they limp through retirement. Mitchell says he even misses being booed during introductions at home games in Detroit. He misses mattering. Misses the work that defined his self-worth. As Parcells has said, “This is one of the most competitive businesses there is. It’s my life. It’s my blood. It’s how I’m measured.” -Dan Le Batard in ESPN The Magazine, January 28th, 2008 Edition

This is why Tom Brady feels so empty. This is just another example of how much our world needs the gospel.

Because of the gospel our identity is in Christ. We are children of God. We live to know Him. We rest in what Christ has accomplished. Our significance is found in magnifying the supreme worth of our Lord.

This entry was posted by Tim Pickard on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 12:58 pm and is filed under Main. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.