The 14th season of HBO's Hard Knocks is well underway and features the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers. Over the years, this show has been eye-opening, intriguing, revealing, and a must-watch for many NFL fans. While showcasing training camp and the preparation that teams make before the season, there are always unique storylines and talking points that come out of each episode. Hard Knocks has been a show that fans look forward to each August because of the behind-the-scenes access and footage we don't normally see from players and coaches. However, this year doesn't seem to be drawing fans in the same way and there doesn't appear to be the same buzz surrounding the show. The season's debut episode only had 273,000 viewers compared to last year's 705,000. The Rams and Chargers maybe lack some of the unique personalities compared to teams in the past...or maybe fans just aren't as enthralled with the format of the show anymore. Now that we've seen it year after year, we know what NFL training camp is like. Although at first, we were amazed and in awe of what they caught on film, it seems we have become numb and not as captivated by it. Perhaps the show is viewed as stale and there's not the same effort to tune in. The show might make changes to spice it up and entice fans again, but either way, I want to draw attention to how a similar kind of numbness or staleness can take place in our own lives. When it comes to our faith, blessings, and view of God, we can find ourselves numb to certain aspects that should never really lose their wonderment, appreciation, and awe. Isn’t it easy to become numb to the fact that we have a roof over our head and food in the fridge? If we’re married, don’t we find ourselves numb to the idea that another person loves us enough to be our spouse? If we have kids, can’t we quickly lose sight of the miracle of childbirth and the opportunity we have to be parents? Unfortunately, once we experience some of these things for a while, we seem to quickly forget how truly spectacular they are. This same numbness also infiltrates our view of God and the work He does. We know that He is good and worthy to be praised, but we can slip into a routine of just going through the motions. If we’ve been around church for a while, we can overlook the remarkable meaning and impact of worship songs and scripture because we’ve heard them over and over again. Or, we can have little reaction when we hear about people giving their lives to Jesus, instead of recognizing the incredible change that is taking place in their heart and their eternal destination. Somehow we become “too familiar” with what God is doing and we don’t have the same amazement as we once did. But, a story in the Bible about Jesus healing a paralyzed man shows us a great response that we can have too. Luke 5:25-26 (ESV) says, “And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen extraordinary things today.’” Every day is filled with blessings, miracles, and God’s handiwork. Let’s not be numb to the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ or lose the wonderment that God sent Jesus to die on the cross so we can be saved. Today, let's remove the apathy and make the effort to "tune in" and "talk about" what we see God doing all around us...and freshly experience His all-consuming love. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I admit as I go through life I can easily get caught up in allowing things to be so normal that I become numb to recognizing Your power and wonderment. Help me to stand in awe and amazement of all that You are and all that You do. Thank you for the power of the cross, and help me live without taking it for granted. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen. Discussion Questions for PACKS:
What areas of your life have you become numb to?
What specifically about God's character causes you to be in awe when you really think about it?
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