“Accept, Lord, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws. Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law.” — Psalm 119:108-109
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Whenever an athlete wins a major award, there is usually a long list of people they thank in their acceptance speech. Parents. Siblings. Other family members. Coaches. Teammates. People want to acknowledge those who helped them get to where they are.
Joe Burrow’s Heisman Trophy speech in 2019 included all of the typical thank yous, but it also featured a powerful tribute to his hometown of Athens, Ohio. Burrow transferred from Ohio State to LSU and quarterbacked the Tigers to an undefeated season and national championship, winning practically every award possible in the process.
Even though his historic season came after he left his home state, Burrow used his platform as the biggest star in college football to bring attention to the community he grew up in.
“There’s so many people there that don’t have a lot and I’m up here for all those kids in Athens and Athens County that go home to not a lot of food on the table, hungry after school,” Burrow said in his Heisman speech. “You guys can be up here, too.”
He never forgot where he came from.
In Psalm 119, the psalmist celebrates the goodness and trustworthiness of God’s law over and over again. They say it is what sustained them through affliction and suffering.
Whether it’s being in danger like the psalmist talks about or chasing our own desires instead of God’s plan for us, we are inevitably going to encounter adversity during our faith journey. There will be doubts, distractions and disappointments.
While we certainly can’t control everything that happens in our lives, we do get to choose how we respond. Thankfully, we always have God’s Word to recenter our focus. At the core of Christianity is the hope we have in Christ. He’s why we can have peace in chaos, joy in despair and confidence in uncertainty.
Never forget to cling to that hope.
— Joshua Doering
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