Seattle Seahawks wide receiver, DK Metcalf, is one of the rising stars at his position and is having an impressive start to the season. However, in the first quarter on Sunday, he made a very foolish decision when he caught a long pass from Russell Wilson.

Metcalf was able to catch it cleanly after separating himself from the defender and was steps away from the end zone when he eased up and allowed cornerback, Trevon Diggs, to punch the ball out of his hands.

Metcalf thought he was going to just stroll into the end zone and casually score a touchdown, so he loosened his grip on the ball and held it with one hand, giving the defender a chance to knock it out.

Instead of finishing the play strong and scoring a touchdown for his team, he let up and slowed down, which resulted in a fumble and the Cowboys getting the ball.

Unfortunately, he’s not the first player to do something like this and I previously wrote about celebrating before the end zone. (You can read here.)

Today, I want to unpack how Metcalf didn’t hold onto the ball firmly after he received it and because of that, didn’t make the most of the opportunity.

I hope we can use this as a challenge, warning, and encouragement in our own lives when it comes to our grip on the Gospel. I’m not talking about losing our salvation, but I do wonder how often we view God’s Word, His Promises, and the Good News too casually.

Are we approaching our lives as followers of Jesus with passion and a desire to finish strong here on earth, or are we easing up, slowing down, and fumbling the ball so to speak? Are we taking the Gospel for granted or holding it dearly?

When life is hard and we’re being tested, are we clinging to God’s truth or are we only loosely hanging onto it and allowing our opponent to “punch the ball out of our hands.”

As followers of Jesus, we don’t want to let up after we’ve received His grace and salvation but want to keep running hard toward the end zone, firmly clinging to the truth, hope, and peace found in Him.

Paul writes in Philippians 2:16 (NLT), “Hold firmly to the Word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.”

We’re also encouraged in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (NIV), “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the Gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this Gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the Word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.”

Hebrews 4:14 (NLT) adds, “So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.”

Today, if we’ve received God’s grace let us hold on tight to the truth of the Gospel, and let’s not fumble away the opportunities we’re given on our way to the end zone.