“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” — Matthew 5:6

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Arguably the most significant developments in the college sports landscape in recent years have been the adoption of name, image and likeness (NIL) rules that allow athletes to get paid, along with the NCAA transfer portal that allows athletes to change schools virtually each year with no consequence.

Every year, thousands of athletes enter the portal looking for a better opportunity. Sometimes transferring is the right decision, whether it be due to a coaching change, family circumstances or a lack of playing time. Some players just realize they fit better in a different program.

But the transfer portal also reflects a temptation that extends beyond sports. We live in a culture where we often think, “What’s best for me?” Furthermore, many of these athletes leave schools before roots can ever form. We’ve seen instances where players have transferred to four, five and even six different schools during their college career.

This mirrors how many of us approach friendships, dating, careers and community itself. Modern life has conditioned people to evaluate relationships based on convenience and personal benefit rather than commitment and depth. Real, lasting relationships take time and intentionality, yet we settle for surface-level relationships instead of deep ones that may require sacrifice or putting aside selfish desires.

This is not how Jesus envisioned our relationships to go. In Matthew 5, in what’s known as the Beatitudes, He says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (v. 6). We often hear the word “righteousness” and our mind immediately goes to thinking in terms of personal morality. But in this context, Jesus is using the word to mean being in right relationship with God and other people.

Instead of seeing people for what they can do for us, Jesus teaches us to consider how we can love and serve them sacrificially. The most successful teams didn’t have locker rooms full of selfish people looking to use the person to their left or right for their own gain. They were built on trust, sacrifice, commitment and a true unified bond.

The same is true of friendships, marriages, churches, families or any other relationship. They require patience, humility, faithfulness and putting aside your own ego and desires to do what’s best for the team collectively.

If all you’re doing is chasing the next best opportunity to get to the next level financially, socially or whatever the goal, you will ultimately end up dissatisfied. And in many cases, you’ll probably miss out on so much growth and genuine joy that you would’ve experienced by sticking it out somewhere and approaching your relationships the way Jesus outlined.

As with sports transfers, there will be times when a friendship or relationship needs to end and you need to move on, for a variety of reasons. But that doesn’t always mean you need to run at the first sign of conflict or discomfort. As is the case with athletes, even if the situation isn’t exactly what you envisioned at first, consider whether the grass really is greener on the other side or if there’s a chance for improvement and personal growth.

And whether you’re an athlete, coach or fan, consider whether you’re treating people as stepping stones to your next opportunity, or as image-bearers God has called you to love and be in community with.

— Cole Claybourn

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