“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Something Bigger Than Yourself

After getting benched at halftime of the national championship game, Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts could’ve spent the rest of the game angry and frustrated on the sidelines. He also could’ve said no when ESPN asked to interview him once his replacement, Tua Tagovailoa, led the Crimson Tide to a comeback victory over Georgia. Hurts did neither. During the interview, he was filled with joy and incredibly complementary of Tagovailoa. There was an authentic happiness Hurts had that his team won, regardless of who was playing quarterback at the end.

Tagovailoa returned the favor by tweeting his love and appreciation for Hurts a few days later. One of the beautiful things about sports and being a Christian is that they’re about something bigger than the individual. Jesus set the example by living a life of servitude and then dying on the cross so that our sins would be forgiven.

Now, we are called to love others the way that Jesus loved us. That means surrendering ourselves to God’s will and putting it before our personal agendas. In a world that’s so focused on doing what’s best for yourself, we need to strive to be focused on how we can serve others. Once we about a mindset of selflessness, life becomes much more enjoyable and it’s easy to understand why Jalen Hurts could be so happy after being pulled from the biggest stage in college football. He knew he was part of something so much larger than his personal success. We are too!

– Joshua Doering

If you’d like to submit a reader devotional, please email Jason Romano – jason@sportsspectrum.com