The HBO TV show, "Hard Knocks," debuted a new season last night and as always they do an incredible job of revealing what NFL players and coaches experience at training camp. As fans, we get to watch elements of the sport in ways we don’t normally see.
This year, the cameras are following the Oakland Raiders with a fascinating cast of characters: Head coach Jon Gruden; newly acquired wide receiver, Antonio Brown; and one of my favorite quarterbacks, Derek Carr.
"Hard Knocks" provides an extremely eye-opening opportunity for fans to witness the rawness of an NFL team’s process. Being privy to behind the scenes also gives us access to practice footage and coaches’ meetings.
Although captivating for the audience, players and teams are not phased at all. Since they’ve been around the game for such a long time, they’ve become numb to the intensity, unfiltered language, ruthlessness, and unique practice methods. What we view as thrilling and astonishing is just another day in the NFL.
I’m afraid this kind of numbness doesn’t just happen to coaches or players on an NFL team. In our own lives, we can find ourselves numb to certain aspects that should never really lose their wonderment. 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? 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 that 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 reality that is taking place in their heart and in their eternity. 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 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 begin to experience the all-consuming love of God in a fresh way. I’m Bryce Johnson and you canUNPACK 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: 1. What areas of your life have you become numb to? 2. What specifically about God's character causes you to be in awe when you really think about it?
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