Former Heisman Trophy winner, National Champion, and first overall pick, Jameis Winston, has experienced a lot of ups and downs in his NFL career.
During his five seasons in the league, he has made the Pro Bowl, led the league in passing yards, and has the NFL record for most consecutive games (two) with 450+ passing yards.
However, last year he became the first player in NFL history to throw 30 or more touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a season. He also threw seven interceptions that were returned for touchdowns, which is the most by a QB in one season.
Winston has struggled, yet he’s shown glimpses of being a franchise quarterback, and now that he’s a free agent, the Tampa Bay Bucs have a big decision to make: should they or shouldn’t they bring him back?
Although Winston has been known for throwing tons of interceptions, his poor vision may actually be a contributing factor. His head coach, Bruce Arians, made this comment: “He can’t read the scoreboard but he can see the guys in front of him.”
Apparently, Winston’s nearsightedness has been preventing him from clearly seeing the defenders and the open receivers, so he recently underwent LASIK surgery in an attempt to repair his vision.
A post on tampabay.com explained, “The procedure reshapes the cornea to enable light entering the eye to be properly focused onto the retina for clearer vision.”
The eyes of the quarterback are valuable for seeing the field properly and this has been a major weakness for Winston. It will be interesting to find out if the procedure leads to changes in Winston’s game, regardless of which team he plays for next year.
When it comes to our own lives, having a clear vision and seeing properly is also important. Not only is it crucial to see what’s right in front of us, but to “see down the field.” Having a view of the bigger picture greatly affects our decision-making process.
As followers of Jesus, new eyesight is available for us to see the world differently…to have the opportunity to see “the defense” and the “open receivers.”
The reality is, what we see and how we see it affects our whole body. Jesus explains this to us in Matthew 6:22-23 (AMP): “The eye is the lamp of the body; so if your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive], your whole body will be full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts].
“But if your eye is bad [spiritually blind], your whole body will be full of darkness [devoid of God’s precepts]. So if the [very] light inside you [your inner self, your heart, your conscience] is darkness, how great and terrible is that darkness!”
Since our eyes and hearts are connected, every day we must fix our eyes on Jesus and keep them open to the truth of His Word. We can pray, “Open my eyes [to spiritual truth] so that I may behold wonderful things from Your law” (Psalm 119:18; AMP).
Today, let’s consider if we’re throwing too many “interceptions” in our lives. If we are, then we must ask God to correct our vision so that we can see things clearly…and in the way He wants us to.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, open the eyes of my heart and help me see Your truth and Your character. Help me be spiritually perceptive of what’s really going on around me. I pray that I’d have a clear vision of the life I should pursue. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Discussion Questions for PACKS:
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How clear is the vision for your life?
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In what ways would you like God to open your eyes and help you see differently?
