As we know, football is a game of inches. On every play, the offense tries to gain as much as possible.
This past Sunday, San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, was trying to lead his team toward the end zone when he was forced to run out of the pocket.
He was able to get some space and run for 13 yards, but instead of going out of bounds when he had the chance, he fought for the extra yardage. This resulted in him awkwardly planting his leg (taking an unnecessary hit) and tearing his ACL.
Garoppolo is going to miss the rest of the season and the 49ers are now without their prized acquisition and franchise quarterback.
It’s an unfortunate circumstance to suffer such a major injury and there has been debate regarding his decision to extend the play. On one end, players are taught to do what they can to get more yardage. But quarterbacks, in particular, are told to protect themselves and wisely get out of bounds.
It’s hard to fault Garoppolo for wanting more yards, but his decision turned out to be costly. He and his team are forced to face the consequences of fighting for "extra."
The desire for a little more and doing whatever we can to get the “extra yard” is something we all deal with. It can positively demonstrate how hard we work and how willing we are to give as much of ourselves as we can. However, the “more mentality” can also be costly and prevent us from experiencing true contentment.
Oftentimes, trying to get “one more yard” and gaining as much as possible is motivated by greed and dissatisfaction. We convince ourselves that we need a little more compensation at work, a little more room in our house, a little more money in the bank, a little more time at the office, and a little more power and control.
Of course, it’s never enough and we end up hurting ourselves and others by our selfish pursuits. Instead, we need to take to heart what God tells us in His Word:
Luke 12: 15 (NLT) warns, "Then He said, 'Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own."
Proverbs 28:25 (ESV) cautions that "A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched."
We’re more likely to focus on the “rich” part, instead of truly being “enriched” and satisfied with what we’ve been given, because we always want more.
I don’t think it means we have to settle in life, but I do believe we can live with a lot more peace and contentment when we clearly see the field and know when to get out of bounds with thankfulness for the "yards" we do gain.
When our lives are centered around Jesus, and our passion is to know and serve Him more, we’ll experience an abundance of satisfaction and contentment as we lose our desire to have more of everything else.
Today, let’s allow the perspective of 1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NLT) to challenge us on our own “more mentality.”
"Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.
"But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for being greedy and wanting more of what the world has to offer. I pray I’d be satisfied in You and content with all You provide. I want more of You and less of me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
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