The college football landscape was rocked in a major way earlier this week when legendary Alabama head coach, Nick Saban announced his retirement after leading the program to six National Championships during his 17-year tenure. The somewhat sudden announcement, from a man who has almost unanimously been considered the best coach in college football for the better part of two decades, caught many people by surprise. Even so, Saban made it clear during his press conference that a big factor in his decision was believing this move was best for the Alabama football program moving forward. He remarked, “I was going to go in there and ask them to get 100 percent committed to coming back and trying to win a championship, but I've always said that I didn't want to ride the program down, and I felt whether it was recruiting or hiring coaches, now that we have people leaving, the same old issue always sort of came up -- how long are you going to do this for?" Successful football coaches are incredibly competitive people and often have a difficult time retiring when they're still experiencing success on the gridiron. Amazingly, Saban has chosen to step away from a tremendously successful job because he thinks overall, the program will benefit. As followers of Jesus, we're constantly faced with decisions to either put ourselves first or selflessly defer for the benefit of others. In these moments, we must let go of all selfishness to humbly serve and care for the people around us. Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV) tells us, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Our lifestyles are supposed to be characterized by humility and selflessness as we prioritize the needs of others ahead of our own. Despite “major” sacrifices often required, this lifestyle will flourish when we intentionally choose selflessness in the day-to-day rhythms of life. While following Jesus, and letting go of our selfish ambitions, we're more apt to invest time and energy in the interests of others. When making the daily decision to live selflessly, we better model the character of our loving Savior, who came not to be served, but to selflessly serve others (Matthew 20:28). So today, let’s follow the example of Jesus. Let's humbly and selflessly choose to put the needs of others ahead of our own. I’m Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that! Prayer: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times I've thought and acted selfishly. Help me recognize the selflessness demonstrated by Jesus so I might better serve others with the same mindset. May You be glorified in it all. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
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