A True Champion

If any of you got the chance to watch the BCS national Championship on Thursday Night, you got to witness more than an exciting football game. The University of Alabama emerged the victor and the University of Texas at Austin lost in a game that was not decided until well into the 4^th quarter.

One of the big pieces of the game was the fact that Texas’ quarterback, Colt McCoy – was injured in the first drive of the night leaving the backup QB to play the rest of game. The reason that I am writing about this is that if you know anything about Colt McCoy you would know that he is a talented quarterback and a committed Christian.

When he got injured however, he spend the rest of the game getting x-rays and standing on the sidelines where the cameras covered his disappointment as much as they covered the game. Colt McCoy has pretty much had his face plastered all Texas on billboards for I am Second, the evangelism outreach that shares the testimonies of celebrities to show the fact that when Jesus Christ is in your heart, you are no longer the most important person in the world, He is. Thus, “I am second.”

Well in light of that fact, when the game was over and they congratulated the winners, the anchor lady went over to Colt for the usual post game interview. He commented that he was disappointed, that he would love to have played and competed but he could no longer feel his throwing arm. And then he said something that I am grateful to him for saying. Despite the fact that his team lost, despite the fact that he could not play, he still praised God for getting him there.

Its easy for a wide receiver or running back to kneel in the end zone or give a shout-out to God when they score a touchdown. Its easy to praise God in times of victory. Not so much when your team loses. However, for all the displays of faith that make some people uncomfortable and make others mock or take your faith for granted, its equally important what Christians do and say to praise God when life sucks, when things do not go the way we expect, WHEN WE LOSE.

Colt did not fake happiness, he did not dodge the question, he did not manufacture false joy and fake smile. He told the lady exactly how he felt, yet still praised and thanked his Lord. Its like the many psalms of David where he pours his heart out to God; his fears of his enemies, his anger at the way God is treating him, his disappointment with his current situation, his anxiety that God is being too hard on him or is not listening to his prayers – Yet he never ever ends any of these Psalms without saying “Praise the Lord O my soul.”