One of the more head-scratching stories from Week 2 in the NFL involves Buffalo Bills' cornerback Vontae Davis retiring at halftime. The Bills were down 28-6 when Davis shockingly decided he had enough and was ready to move on from football.
His team was blindsided and disappointed as he left - especially since he wasn't found on the sidelines during the second half or in the locker room following the game.
Davis later said in a statement, "It's more important for me and my family to walk away healthy than to willfully embrace the warrior mentality and limp away too late.”
His decision has resulted in many strong opinions from teammates, former players, media members, and fans who consider his action on the field as extremely abrupt, disrespectful, and unacceptable.
At first glance, Davis can easily be considered a quitter, very selfish, and a guy that really let his team down. After all, we value perseverance and the “never give up mentality” in sports and life.
To see someone simply quit in the middle of a game doesn’t seem justifiable because we understand the concept of finishing what we start, staying committed, and sacrificing for the team.
While that is true, isn't it Davis' call to make if his decision was based on a deep conviction that he couldn’t go back out there?
It’s fair to say he could have handled it a lot better, but we have to give him the benefit of the doubt that he determined this to be the right choice for him and his family.
This situation isn’t exclusive to the NFL because each of us makes regular decisions to keep going or to quit. I’m passionate about not giving up, but I also believe we can be so determined to never quit that we continue to do something that deep down we know we should stop.
Of course, we keep the faith and persevere during trials and live up to our commitments the best we can, but there are other times that we must be willing to let go, stop an activity, or leave a situation.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to live surrendered lives dependant on His leading and guiding, and oftentimes, this means making the tough choice.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) tells us to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”
As we trust Him, He will ask us to step out in faith, and that may mean others will question our decision or cause us to quit one thing in order to start something else.
Others may want us to keep going, but God may be protecting us by leading us away or calling us to do something different. Only He truly knows what’s next.
In these moments we can have a similar prayer to the one found in Jeremiah 10:23-24 - NLT): “I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle…”
A surrendered life to Jesus means quitting our old life in order to embrace the new life He has for us. It’s an exciting adventure that requires a daily commitment to go where He wants us to go.
We must “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually! (1 Chronicles 16:11 - ESV). When we do, we’ll walk away from our own plans toward His wonderful and perfect will.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me know the difference between the times you want me to persevere and the times you want me to go another direction. Either way, I want to trust You and follow Your lead. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
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