“It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.” Psalm 44:3

Tony Dungy, in The Jersey Effect, talks about the struggle for athletes once they finish their career. It’s a struggle because, once sports are taken away, they wonder what their purpose in life is. When sports are taken away, they lose meaning in life.

If you’re an athlete, is this true for you? If you’re not an athlete, what is the one thing in this world that you feel gives you meaning and purpose? How would you feel if it was taken away?

The legendary head coach Chuck Noll will say that football may have been his profession for a temporary season of his life, but football was certainly not his purpose. So, if what you do isn’t who you are, then what is your purpose?

See, we strive for importance, but what we deeply need is value. We act like competitors, but what God really wants to make us into is warriors. Purpose, I think, can be boiled down to value and being a warrior. Value comes from what Jesus Christ displayed on the cross and how God loves us each and every day. The truest thing about us is that we are loved. Being a warrior comes from God’s Holy Spirit living through us, in union with us, as we fight for a kingdom. It’s God’s love that gives us worth and His love that makes us warriors. The Holy Spirit, even, is an outpouring of His love as it lives through us to accomplish His purposes for His kingdom.

By Hunter Smith

Hunter Smith is the former punter for the Indianapolis Colts and lead singer of The Hunter Smith Band. Order his book, The Jersey Effect, here. 

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