The 2023 NFL Draft is now complete with 259 players hearing their names called and experiencing their dreams coming true. Along with the many excited players, some expected to be drafted early, but teams passed on them resulting in the players being drafted much later than anticipated. Meanwhile, countless players thought they would be drafted in one of the seven rounds, and yet slipped all the way through going undrafted. A few of the biggest names leading up to the draft, such as quarterback Will Levis and cornerback Joey Porter Jr., were projected to go in the first round but slipped into the second. At one point, there was talk that Levis could even go first overall, but he fell to the 33rd pick when the Titans traded up to select him. When players get drafted later than expected, they watch teams pass on them. They begin to feel rejected and discouraged because they can’t believe they're not being taken. Many players believe they are better than other players being chosen so when they watch their peers get selected before them they can quickly get bitter. Simply put, the draft can be a humiliating, disappointing, and frustrating experience. Following the draft, we hear analysts and even the players talk about how they will now play with a “chip on their shoulder.” This means they will use the slight, the snub, the rejection, and the humiliation as motivation. They will set out to prove the teams wrong who passed on them and play with a little extra anger and determination. For the most part, this is a celebrated mindset and attitude. We admire a player for having a “chip on his shoulder” because he goes out to show what he’s capable of and why he should have been drafted earlier. We think the “chip on his shoulder” will help him play better. Meriam-Webster defines having a chip on one’s shoulder as having “an angry or unpleasant attitude or way of behaving caused by a belief that one has been treated unfairly in the past.” That doesn’t sound very positive, does it? Is this really the best approach for a player to have and one that should be encouraged? Anger may help on the football field and guys wanting to show they can be better than the spot they were drafted might make sense, but in the long run, is allowing bitterness and frustration to be the driving force of motivation really what’s best? When considering NFL players holding grudges and playing with a “chip on their shoulder,” I wonder how many of us live similarly. Are we hanging onto past hurts, disappointments, and rejections as some kind of badge of honor? Do we feel like we’ve been treated unfairly in the past so we have the right to carry around an angry or unpleasant attitude? Even if the “chip on our shoulder” has helped to motivate us in some way and has allowed us to turn something negative into something positive, ultimately at its root is anger and bitterness, so is it the best approach to continue dwelling on the pain of the past? As followers of Jesus, we are motivated by love, grace, and hope. We know that in Christ there is freedom and healing from our past and hope for our future. We don’t need a “chip on our shoulder,” but rather God gives us a mind that is being renewed and a heart that is being transformed to willingly forgive. Ephesians 4:31-32 (AMP) tells us to ”Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice . Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted , forgiving one another , just as God in Christ also forgave you.” Proverbs 24:29 (NLT) gives us this encouragement: “And don’t say, 'Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!'” Many players are experiencing disappointment and unmet expectations following the draft, but what about us today...can we relate to similar feelings? Instead of setting out for revenge with resentment in our hearts and a "chip on our shoulder," let's choose to be motivated by love as we experience freedom and forgiveness because of Christ within us. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please show me the things that have been acting as a chip on my shoulder that I need to let go of. I don’t want to be bitter, resentful, and angry or pursue revenge. I know You will heal me from my pain and turn things around for good. Please help me to forgive and experience freedom in You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR PACKS:
1. In what ways do you think you have a "chip on your shoulder"? 2. How do you normally view having a "chip on your shoulder"? 3. In what ways is it good or bad?
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