The Chicago Bears are 3-5, losing four straight, and underachieving after last season’s 12-4 record and playoff birth. With Super Bowl aspirations this year and a team not performing up to expectations, the criticism and noise surrounding the team have been loud.
Much of this disappointment and questioning have been placed on third-year quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky, who has not been playing well at all. Ranking 31st in the league for his QB rating, he has only thrown five touchdowns in seven starts.
Trubisky is still a young QB trying to develop, but because he was taken 2nd overall in the 2017 draft ahead of Patrick Mahomes (10th) and Deshaun Watson (12th), his poor play doesn’t compare well to how great those two are.
As you can imagine, Trubisky has to be feeling the heat and the pressure, but he’s trying to avoid listening to what’s being said about him and his team. He’s attempting to literally turn off the noise.
"Trying to get some of these TVs in the building turned off because you've got too many people talking on TV about us and what they think about us - what we should do, what we are and what we're not...
"But they don't really know who we are, or what we're capable of as people, or what we're going through, or what we're thinking. It's just the outside viewers looking in.
"So tunnel vision, ear muffs and just come to work every day and try to get better and get back to what we know we're capable of doing."
On the surface, it’s easy to be critical of Trubisky for his play and laugh at him for turning off the TVs, but when we look a little deeper, we can be challenged by what he’s saying.
For most of us, people aren’t talking about us on TV, but everywhere we turn, someone is telling us “what we should do, what we are, and what we’re not.”
Whether it’s through advertising or our boss or our spouse or social media, there is a lot of noise leading us to feel like we're underperforming or inadequate or not as good as someone else.
As a result, finding our identity and the truth of who we are in Jesus, and remaining confident because of what God says about us, is very important.
We have to turn off the “TVs” in life, and like Trubisky, put on “ear muffs” and keep our “tunnel vision.” When we do, we can remain focused on who God says we are and what we’re capable of doing through Him...instead of listening to all of the messaging that tells us what we’re lacking.
When we decide to rest in the reality that we are children of God, we can stop being caught up in comparisons or discouragement about not living up to what the outside world is telling us we should be.
Let’s remember who we are as followers of Jesus and that what He says about us is what ultimately matters. In Him and through Him we are loved, forgiven, powerful, victorious, and fully alive. Let these verses be an encouragement to us today:
"But to as many, as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name" (John 1:12; AMP).
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace, you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5; ESV).
"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus " (Romans 8:1; AMP).
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
Discussion Questions for PACKS:
What voices have you been listening to that are leaving you discouraged?
What does it mean to find your identity in Jesus?
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