“God and for this we labor and strive, that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe” — 1 Timothy 4:10

Draft Day

I’ll admit it — I’m a football addict. I love spending Saturdays and Sundays in the fall and winter watching college and NFL football games on TV. The spectacle of cheering fans, bruising tackles, diving catches and cutback rushing attempts entertain me like nothing else. It’s a sad day for me when the season ends. One of the ways I temper my football withdrawals is to follow the NFL draft that takes place in April.

The NFL draft is a seven-round selection process in which teams infuse their rosters with talented college players. Of the tens of thousands of college football players across America, only about 250 of them will be selected by NFL franchises over the three-day draft. Many outstanding players will go undrafted because they don’t fit the prototypical mold. Reasons for rejection might be that they didn’t play at a Division I school, or maybe their size is an issue. Perhaps they underwhelmed scouts and coaches at the NFL Combine with their 40-yard dash times.

I’m sure glad that God isn’t as discriminatory as NFL scouts and coaches. God loves all of us and wants everybody to be on His winning team. He doesn’t care how big or small we are, or what college we went to, or even how badly we’ve messed up our lives. God proved His inclusiveness by sending Jesus to earth to die in our place ( 1 Peter 2:24). The only thing He requires of us is to confess our sins and admit we need His forgiveness.

Right this moment, God is hosting his own draft. He enjoys taking ordinary people and doing extraordinary things through them. If you listen closely enough you can hear God calling your name. All of Heaven is cheering as they await your response. Are you ready to get in the game?

— Mark Romang

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