Past and Future Failure

These questions are being asked as we anticipate the new-look Cleveland Browns in the upcoming season:

1. Could this finally be the year Cleveland turns it around?

2. Did the Browns find a legitimate franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield?

3. Does the front office have the right people in place to lead this team in the right direction?

Although there appears to be a good level of hope that things will be different, many of us are still thinking they could more than likely repeat their past failures just because they're the Cleveland Browns.

We’ve seen the same situation over and over again with Cleveland drafting a quarterback who quickly fizzles out just like the one before him. Knowing this history, it's hard not to believe it will repeat itself with the first overall pick, Baker Mayfield.

The truth is, however, that Mayfield isn't Johnny Manziel, Brady Quinn, Tim Couch or DeShone Kizer and he doesn’t have to end up with the same results. He may have the Browns name on his jersey, but he’s his own man with an opportunity to do things differently.

In our own lives, we can fall into the trap of thinking we have no choice but to repeat our failures or go down the same path as our parents. If we aren’t careful, we can buy the lies that we’re destined to be an alcoholic or struggle financially or divorce our spouse - just because that’s what we saw while growing up in our home.

But we must accept the fact that we aren’t our parents and when we receive new life in Christ, we're no longer the person we used to be.We don’t have to have the same results because we have the opportunity to do things differently.

Just like Browns fans have to believe Mayfield can be their franchise QB of the future (regardless of past QB failures), we have to believe failures from our past don’t have to lead to failures in our future.

As followers of Jesus, we’re given a whole new outlook on life and are empowered to be different than who we used to be or who we thought we were destined to become.

The Bible gives us this powerful hope in 2 Peter 1:4-9 (NLT):

"And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

"In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

"The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.”

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray I wouldn’t buy the lies that I have to fall into the same failures as I did in the past or struggle the same way my family did. I place my hope and trust in You and know I can live a holy life as I follow You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.