As the NFL Draft begins on Thursday, the Chicago Bears are on the clock with the first overall pick, then follow up with the 9th pick. The Bears are in the process of strengthing their roster and building a winner through the draft. Every team has a unique process and approach to identifying the specific type of players they want to draft. Every team emphasizes certain traits and characteristics they look for in the draft prospects they scout and the Bears have a clever way of documenting the players who possess these qualities. In an article on nbcsportschicago.com, writer Alex Shapiro explains what the Bears do: “If a player exhibits all the traits they want, regardless of whether that player has a first-round grade or a seventh-round grade, the team puts a little Bears head icon on their tag.” Bears GM, Ryan Poles explains further: “We call them the Grizzly…the top Bear. They’ve got to impact the football team from a skillset standpoint, but we always are gonna look at some key things when we talk about passion for the game, coach-ability, dependability, resilience.” With countless talented players available to be drafted who have similar football abilities, it makes sense that the intangibles or characteristics a team values the most will be the differentiator. While the Bears are looking to draft a “Grizzly” who has “passion for the game, coach-ability, dependability, and resilience,” I believe those same characteristics should be differentiators in our lives as followers of Jesus. When others “scout” us, they will see our “passion for God” because we take the words of Jesus seriously in Mark 12:30 (ESV): “‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” They will notice our “coachability” and identify our desire to grow, learn, and receive teaching from God’s Word. Jesus tells us in Mark 4:25 (AMP), “For whoever has , to him more will be given; and whoever does not have , even what he has will be taken away from him.” When “scouting” our lives, they will see evidence of our “dependability.” In other words, even though we aren’t perfect, we can be relied on to do what we say and can be trusted that we’re seeking to live like Jesus. The Bible challenges us in 1 John 2:5-6 (NLT): “But those who obey God’s Word truly show how completely they love Him. That is how we know we are living in Him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” Lastly, our “resilience” will be recognized because we’ll demonstrate how we depend on God to help us endure, overcome, and recover from challenges. We follow the example of Paul as he writes in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (NLT), “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” Today, let’s remember that the characteristics of “The Grizzly,” are the same ones that allow us to glorify God and represent that we are part of His team. Let’s continue to value and demonstrate our passion for God, coachability, dependability, and resilience as we walk with Jesus. I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I desire to become more like Jesus and live a life that honors and glorifies You. Please help me passionately live for You and be coachable and teachable as I seek to understand Your Word. I pray you will strengthen me to be dependable and resilient, regardless of my circumstances. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
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