Today’s movie, Remember the Titans, is one of the most powerful, important, and inspiring movies I’ve ever seen. It fired me up, gave me chills, and even made me tear up a bit just watching the clips while preparing for this devotional!

The acting, the cast, the plot, the soundtrack, and the dialogue are all fantastic and make for a movie worth watching again and again. I hope everyone has seen it by now, but the movie is based on the true story of a high school football team in Alexandria, Virginia that won the 1971 state championship after being integrated.

The movie tackles the racial tensions in and out of the locker room and shows how the team comes together in amazing ways. There are plenty of lessons to be learned, but for today’s devotional, I want to focus on a scene following halftime of the championship game when the Titans were down 7-0.

To set up the scene…

Cornerback, Alan Bosley (played by actor Ryan Gosling), was the game’s starter after star cornerback, Petey Jones (played by actor Donald Faison), was benched.

During the previous game, Petey took himself out of the game after getting frustrated about the refs calling horrible calls and his coach not letting him make excuses.

Then right before the championship game, Petey apologized and asked to play. However, the defensive coordinator, Coach Yoast, told him he abandoned his team in their moment of need and had to sit on the bench to show his support for his teammates.

But, just minutes away from the second half, Petey is seen standing on the sideline while Alan goes up to Coach Yoast and says, “Sir, I could play with Roosevelt (the previous team), but I cannot play with these guys. No, I tell you what. I didn’t warm the bench all year so I could watch us go down on my account. Put Petey in. He’s better.”

Coach Yoast responds, “You want him to take your spot, you go give it to him.”

What an incredible scene with Alan selflessly running to tell Petey to get back on the field and the two of them embracing.

Petey ends up recovering a fumble on the way to the Titans winning the game and the state championship! That might not have happened if Alan hadn’t allowed him to take his spot.

I’m not sure how often that type of humility takes place in sports, but I loved seeing it in this movie. I think watching Alan’s willingness to do what was best for the team, along with his display of self-awareness regarding his abilities, is something that can challenge us today.

Paul says in Romans 12:3-5 (AMP), “For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].

“For just as in one [physical] body we have many parts, and these parts do not all have the same function or special use, so we, who are many, are [nevertheless just] one body in Christ, and individually [we are] parts one of another [mutually dependent on each other].”

As followers of Jesus, we need to view ourselves properly and understand the degree of faith, the gifts, the purposes, and the abilities God has given us, as well as, the ones He hasn’t.

Sometimes we need to step aside and let others fill the role, provide the need, and have the chance to be used by God if they’re more equipped in a certain area.

I’m sure Alan would have loved to have been out on the field in the spotlight during the second half of the championship game, but it wasn’t what was best for the team.

He most likely wouldn’t have gotten the fumble recovery that Petey did because he didn’t have the necessary speed. Alan understood the goal was to win and he knew Petey was the right guy to be out there.

Our desire should be to do God’s will and do what He’s uniquely designed us to do. That means we rely on His leading to show us when to step up or step in and when to step back.

The good news is, God has equipped all of us to accomplish what He’s called us to do so we don’t have to stay on the bench. We all have a spot on the field!

We understand the goal of our gifts is to serve God and His Church and help others find victory in Christ so we work together as a body of believers acknowledging what we can and can’t do.

Even when there are things we’d like to do when it comes to our profession or ways we want to serve, we must align ourselves with God’s best and be open to how He wants to use us for His glory, plan, and purposes.

This requires us to be selfless and have humility…by being self-aware of our limitations and acknowledging that every gift we do have comes from God.

Today, let’s not buy the lie that we’re better than we are or be delusional about our importance in life. Instead, let’s be confident in who God made us to be, and remember to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3; CSB).

I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for my pride and selfishness. Thank you for the gifts and abilities You’ve given me and I pray I’d use them for Your glory and purposes. Please help me to build up others and consider them more important than myself as I step up and step back as You lead me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.