(This week features five observations from 30 years in an NFL locker room.)

As I waited at an NFL player’s locker while he finished a meeting with his coach, one of his teammates a couple lockers over turned to me and said, “I have a wonderful wife and kids, a big house, a fancy car, a great contract and all the playing time I want. Why am I so miserable?”

He had all the stuff that he thought would make life work well, but that stuff had failed him. He still experienced an emptiness in his soul. 

An eagle soars effortlessly high in the Rocky Mountains. A fish thrives under water. God made everything to work. Push that eagle under water or throw the fish in the air and they do not work very well. They were meant to live in the environment God created for them.

God created us to be in relationship with Him, under His care and love. Attempt to live life outside of that relationship, and we do not work very well. 

We live in a pretty affluent country. In their core, many people believe they are doing quite well without God’s help. They want Jesus around just in case they encounter something they can’t handle. Others have distorted the Scriptures to fit their wishes for wealth and health. 

Sooner or later we must face what only Jesus provides: grace, forgiveness, peace, hope and eternal life. Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” (John 10:10, New American Standard Bible).

I hope you have already begun a relationship with God through Jesus, the One who died on your behalf, making a way for you to know God. Don’t try Jesus to get better stuff to live your life. Throw your dependence on Jesus, ask for His forgiveness for your rebellion, and accept His grace … because He is the only One who offers life. 

Tom Petersburg  | www.catapultministries.org