Last night’s kickoff to the NFL season was phenomenal with Dallas and Tampa Bay’s star-studded offenses going back and forth until the very end.

Tom Brady and the Bucs pulled it out in the final moments, but today I’d like to focus on quarterback, Dak Prescott, and the Dallas Cowboys.

With Dak missing most of last year after a brutal ankle injury and having a recent shoulder issue during training camp, questions were surrounding whether or not he’d be ready to go Week 1.

Amazingly, he put on a very impressive performance by completing 42 of 58 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns. Dak helped give the Cowboys the lead with about 90 seconds left before Brady put together a game-winning drive.

So, despite the loss on the scoreboard, the missed kicks, and questionable officiating, Cowboys fans should realize it was actually a huge win because Dak is back under center and looks healthy and elite.

A headline on Yahoo Sports reads, “Tom Brady Won the Game. Dak Prescott Won the Night.” In the article, NFL Columnist, Charles Robinson wrote this:

“But if Cowboys fans are waking up Friday wringing their hands about the kicker or moaning about the officiating, they’re simply letting some overcooked green beans ruin the filet mignon. Because that’s what Dak Prescott was serving up: an exquisite start that’s actually more of a superb continuation. One that stretches back to last season, when he was absolutely cranking on offense and carrying a depleted Dallas roster, right up to the point that he broke his ankle.”

Of course, Cowboys fans are disappointed about falling short to the Bucs, but they don’t need to miss the bigger point and “let some overcooked green beans ruin the filet mignon.”

Knowing it’s only the first game against the Super Bowl Champs, they should focus on how Dak is back and how he showed what he’s capable of – the same or more than before his injuries.

The fact that he is out there with the team gives the Cowboys the chance for a special season, and they can’t lose sight of that when they see 0-1 in the standings.

In our own lives, we can become disappointed and frustrated when things don’t go perfectly or exactly how we want them to. But by focusing on what’s wrong at the moment without remembering the bigger picture, we overlook all that is positive and filled with hope.

There are also times when God is teaching us something or trying to reveal something to us. However, because we’re not paying attention to what’s most important, we can easily miss it.

A significant story to unpack from the Bible is when the disciples focus on the wrong thing and miss the point Jesus is trying to make.

Instead of understanding Jesus’ warning regarding the spread of sin, unbelief, hypocrisy, and harmful teaching, they were thinking about not having enough food.

This is how the story is told in Mark 8:14-21 (TLB):

“But the disciples had forgotten to stock up on food before they left and had only one loaf of bread in the boat. As they were crossing, Jesus said to them very solemnly, ‘Beware of the yeast of King Herod and of the Pharisees.’

“’What does He mean?’ the disciples asked each other. They finally decided that He must be talking about their forgetting to bring bread.

“Jesus realized what they were discussing and said, ‘No, that isn’t it at all! Can’t you understand? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? Your eyes are to see with—why don’t you look? Why don’t you open your ears and listen? Don’t you remember anything at all? What about the 5,000 men I fed with five loaves of bread? How many basketfuls of scraps did you pick up afterwards?’”

“’Twelve,’ they said. ‘And when I fed the 4,000 with seven loaves, how much was left?’ ‘Seven basketfuls,’ they said. ‘And yet you think I’m worried that we have no bread?'”

The disciples seemed to forget “who was under center” and how powerful Jesus was considering He already showed His ability to provide miraculously.

They all got caught up in the amount of food or being “0-1” when in reality they had everything they needed because Jesus was on the boat with them. They were allowing unbelief to creep in instead of realizing what was true about the situation and the bigger picture He wanted them to understand.

Today, let’s be encouraged to see Jesus for who He is and hear what He’s revealing to us in His Word. Let’s be challenged not to focus on the “0-1” situations in our lives or allow “overcooked green beans to ruin the filet mignon.”

By opening our eyes and acknowledging that Jesus is with us both now and for eternity, we’ll realize what is truly most important!

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray I wouldn’t be concerned about the wrong things, but rather focus on what’s most important. I’m so thankful to know You, Jesus, and ask that You help me to not forget You are with me. I pray I’d spend more time discussing and thinking about what really matters. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Discussion Questions for PACKS:

  1. In what ways do you allow “overcooked green beans to ruin the filet mignon”?

  2. What is an example of a time when God revealed truth to you or reminded you of His faithfulness in the midst of disappointment?