Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, is only 24 years old and already a Super Bowl champion and MVP, league MVP, and a two-time Pro Bowler.
Yesterday, he signed the largest contract in the history of US sports, worth a potential $503 million over ten years.
It’s hard for us to wrap our minds around that amount of money, but Mahomes has already proven his value to the Chiefs, so they’re counting on him to follow the same trajectory for the rest of his career.
They expect him to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and there's the sense that the Chiefs are the next dominant dynasty in the NFL.
With the signing of his new contract, it’s easy to start predicting Mahomes will win more MVPs, break countless records, and become a global superstar...and that the Chiefs will win multiple Super Bowls. Chiefs fans are already scheduling the next parade!
Mahomes has shown what he’s capable of (and he’s just getting started), so we can anticipate him continuing to go out on the field performing at a high level for many years to come.
However, there is no guarantee he’ll win another MVP or the Chiefs will win another Super Bowl. Plus, even though we hear the reports of the big contract, only a portion of it is truly guaranteed and he may not end up receiving all of it.
Although it’s fun for fans and the media to talk about all of the money he'll earn and make bold predictions on what Mahomes and the Chiefs will do over the next decade, it’s no lock.
The hope and confidence about the future of Mahomes and the Chiefs must be complemented with a dose of humility and acknowledgment of all the factors that are not guaranteed.
In sports and life, we can get caught up in making big proclamations and predictions about the future. We expect to earn a set amount of money by a certain time or live in a house for a specific period or get a promotion by a predetermined date.
We talk about what we're going to do and how other plans will play out in our future, and if we're honest, our expectations for them happening come from selfishness and arrogance.
Like with Mahomes and the Chiefs, plans are important to have and there are reasons to think certain things will come to fruition, but as we’ve been reminded by this pandemic, so much is out of our control. Not everything is guaranteed to turn out how and when we predict nor in the exact way we plan.
Of course, this can be discouraging and cause negativity, but as followers of Jesus, we live with hope and confidence that God is in control and His purposes are more important than ours.
That’s why our hopeful expectations and trust are rooted in Him and complemented with a dose of humility and a surrendered heart to His will.
When this is our posture, we won’t arrogantly make guarantees or proclamations about our future, but rather take the approach found in James 4:13-16 (NIV):
”Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life?
"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.”
Today, let’s live with open hands and humble hearts, thanking God for what He’s already given us. Let’s obey Him, trust Him with our futures, and live with the hope that He’s in control, loves us, and has amazing plans for us to walk in.
We’re not guaranteed tomorrow, but we are guaranteed eternity with Jesus when we surrender our lives to Him, so let’s keep our confidence rooted in that truth.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for my arrogance and bold proclamations about the future and my selfish plans. I pray You would give me humility and grace to live moment by moment, following Your will and trusting in Your plans. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.Discussion Questions for PACKS:
What is your approach to future plans and how do these verses challenge your thinking?
Why is there freedom and less pressure when we stop making arrogant proclamations about what’s going to happen in the future?
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