"Football is a team game."
If you have watched football for any significant length of time, you have undoubtedly heard someone say the quote above or some equivalent of it. The idea captured in the adage is that it requires the collection of players on a roster working together as a unit to accomplish great things.
While the idea that an entire team is needed to create a successful football season is certainly true, we must also acknowledge that one player can tremendously impact a franchise's trajectory.
A case in point is rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and his impact on the Washington Commanders this season.
Before this season, Washington's last winning campaign was in 2016, when the team went 8-7-1 and missed the playoffs. Its last playoff win came in 2005 when Washington beat Tampa Bay in the Wild Card Round.
Again, there is no denying the fact that numerous people have aided the Commanders' resurgence this season. Washington has significantly improved at many positions across the board, and head coach Dan Quinn has done an exceptional job in his first year in D.C.
However, having acknowledged the contributions of others, everybody who has followed this team closely knows that Daniels is the one guy who has had the most significant impact on the organization.
In his first NFL campaign, Daniels finished fourth in the league in QBR, behind only Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow. He also finished second in the league among quarterbacks regarding rushing yards with 891.
This Washington team is a prime example of the enormous impact that one person can have on an entire group. One person brought about a monumental shift in the culture of a professional franchise.
As followers of Jesus who live in a broken and sinful world, we can easily become discouraged and dejected. When surrounded by people who might not share our Christian convictions and morals, we can quickly start to feel like we might not be able to have any significant impact on the individuals around us or the environment in which we exist.
However, we must remember that one person filled with and walks with the Holy Spirit can greatly impact those around them.
When we feel the darkness of the world surrounding us, we obviously should have a sense of grieving about the behavior that grieves God. However, rather than feeling utterly discouraged about the prevalence of immorality and sin to the point that we don't act decisively, we can see it as an opportunity to stand out and make an impact.
One such example would be complaining. We live in a society where daily conversation revolves around people complaining about their circumstances.
While this sort of sinful conversation could wear us down, with the proper perspective, we can see it as an opportunity to shine brightly for Christ by not engaging in the same sort of dialogue.
The Apostle Paul even writes in Philippians 2:14-15 (ESV), "Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."
Notice that Paul connects believers living amid a crooked and twisted generation with the fact that those same believers can shine as lights in the world.
The same fact remains true for us today: The more pronounced the darkness around us, the more we can shine brightly for Jesus. And the more we shine brightly for Jesus, the more we might be amazed at how much God can do through one person walking by His Spirit.
Yet, this doesn't mean that everyone around us will change drastically or that we will face no opposition as we go about our lives. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Our righteous behavior will attract persecution and opposition.
But at the same time, we understand that God can work powerfully through us as individuals. After all, it is not us doing the work but God working through us.
So today, let's be encouraged by the opportunity to bring about change to those around us. Ultimately, let us pray that the biggest change will come as sinners turn to Christ in repentance and faith as they respond to the Gospel message.
I'm Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please give me strength and perseverance to walk faithfully in a fallen world. I pray that You will mightily work through me to impact others for Your glory. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.
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