Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, has taken the league by storm with his unique style of play, outrageous stats, and ability to win games. At just 24 years old, he's in a position to become a Super Bowl champion on Sunday.
Mahomes won the MVP in 2018, has already broken records, and has caused NFL experts to question if he's the best quarterback we've ever seen. Although premature to consider such a bold proclamation, it does speak to how well he's played the last two seasons.
Leading up to the Super Bowl, most of the focus has been on what he's done on the field in his short career. But today, I want to unpack his first season in the league when he wasn't playing.
Even though Mahomes was the 10th overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, he spent most of his rookie season backing up the reliable veteran, Alex Smith.
The Chiefs selected Mahomes to be their future franchise QB, and yet they waited before handing over the offense to him. He spent his first season preparing, learning, watching, and understanding how the NFL works.
The Chiefs eventually traded Smith to the Redskins and went all-in on Mahomes as their starting quarterback. After two seasons as the starter, we can see why!
Normally, many high drafted rookie quarterbacks take over right away in year-one, but Mahomes was given the opportunity to wait. Yes, the opportunity, because it benefited him greatly.
When Mike Florio from ProFootballTalk.com asked him what would have happened if he played right away in 2017, Mahomes responded: “I would have just been trying to make plays and I wouldn’t have had the same confidence I have now.”
By waiting, he was able to learn lessons from the sidelines and improve on reading defenses before being thrown out there too soon. Now that he’s the leader of the offense, the timing is right and he’s ready and prepared to do what needs to be done.
We know that timing is key in life, but when it requires us to wait and have patience, we can get antsy and frustrated. Nobody likes to stand on the sidelines anticipating the next promotion, the first pregnancy, the house to sell or whatever else we want to happen.
However, when it comes to God’s plan and His purpose for our lives, He uses the waiting period to prepare us and teach us. Then when the timing is right, things really click and we’re ready to take on the new responsibility with much more confidence.
We love when things happen right away, but the delay equips us for the next assignment. It’s important to sit tight with an understanding that our time hasn't come and that our season of waiting is a valuable opportunity.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (MSG) reminds us “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth…” As we seek and trust God, we can have peace in knowing His timing is perfect and we can rest instead of rush.
Before we enter into what's next, let’s continue to obey and seek God as we find purpose in the moment. Let's “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:14 – ESV).
By recognizing it’s not our time yet, we can embrace the opportunity to wait with confidence and patience. When the time is right, we'll be ready because it's God's timing.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I trust Your timing is perfect and that you are preparing and equipping me for the next assignment. Please help me to rest in Your timing, instead of trying to rush everything. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Discussion Questions for PACKS:
When you think back on your seasons of waiting, what opportunities did they present?
If you are currently waiting for something, how is the delay affecting you?
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