“The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” — John 3:29-30

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Jacoby Brissett grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he was a superstar in football and basketball before he even got to high school. When he finished high school, he was a four-star recruit to play quarterback and many college programs wanted him to come to their school. He decided to go to the University of Florida, but eventually transferred to North Carolina State University, where he became a starter and did well enough to be drafted into the NFL by the New England Patriots in 2016.

Over his 10-year career, Brissett has played for the Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Washington Commanders, and he’s now with the Arizona Cardinals. The games he’s started have mainly been due to the starter being injured, and once the franchise quarterback recovers, Brissett usually heads back to the bench. It would’ve been easy for him to retire at a young age with plenty of money, but he is considered one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league.

Recently, Kyler Murray, the Cardinals’ starting quarterback, injured his foot and Brissett was pressed into duty. Since Murray’s torn tendon is not healing as quickly as expected and Brissett is playing so well, Brissett suddenly and unexpectedly became the starter for the foreseeable future (and now Murray’s future in Arizona is in doubt). Therefore, Brissett may get more of a chance to lead his team after patiently working in the background for a number of years. In a world where selfishness is increasing and we don’t see as many people with a servant’s heart, Brissett is an inspiration.

Before John the Baptist was born, God planned for him to work behind the scenes in a lesser role in order to put Christ in the spotlight. Throughout John’s life, he worked hard without a lot of people noticing him, but his role as a bridge from the Old Testament to the New Testament is one of the most important tasks completed by anyone in all of history. For example, Peter, Andrew, James and John wouldn’t have known who Jesus was if John didn’t introduce them to Him. Then they trusted Jesus and followed Him based upon John the Baptist’s strong character and many days of laboring without applause for God’s team.

If John was selfish, he could have been angry when his disciples stopped working under him and followed Jesus. However, John the Baptist celebrated like the best man at a wedding for the groom who’d get a lot more attention. “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:29-30).

John knew he had an important role in the Kingdom of God, one uniquely set out for him. And each of us has our own important role too, whether in the spotlight or behind the scenes. It all matters to the Kingdom. God can use your anonymous seasons for great things when you trust Him to guide you on the path He’s set out for you.

— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia

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