Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy in 2012 and was a top draft pick for the Cleveland Browns. Unfortunately, he has struggled with multiple off-the-field issues that have resulted in being home without an NFL job.
Manziel violated the NFL’s substance-abuse policy and has grabbed many headlines for his misadventures away from the game. It’s safe to say that most people have written him off or given up on him.
But I was thrilled to hear Oakland Raiders quarterback, Derek Carr, say he’s not one of those people. The two quarterbacks were both drafted in 2014, and yet their careers have taken different paths. Even though Carr is having an MVP-caliber season with a season record of 10-3, he said he would absolutely love the chance to help Manziel.
During a recent interview with Peter King, Carr said: "You know, I spent a lot of time around him. He's such a good dude. I obviously wish him the best, you know...I hope that...hopefully, one day he'll reach out. be able to talk to him and be a friend to him."
These words obviously encouraged Manziel, as he reached out with a comment on Twitter saying, “I’ll gladly take you up on that offer.”
As we witness this friendship in the making, I think we can be challenged to do the same thing in our own lives. There are people we know or used to know from our past that need us...and more importantly, need the love and grace of Jesus.
If we can think more about “being a friend” to those people instead of condemning, judging, criticizing, or giving up on them, God can do incredible work through our efforts.
Friendship is key when it comes to having a voice in someone’s life. They need to know our help is coming from a place of compassion and kindness.
As followers of Jesus, let’s be aware of these opportunities and put ourselves in a position for someone to “take us up on the offer.” As we pursue these kinds of friendships, let’s approach them with Colossians 3:12-14 (ESV) in mind:
"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." As we’re filled with compassion, humility, and love because of what Jesus has done in our own lives, let’s be inspired to be available and open to helping others through genuine friendship. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!
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