I think God's a Chiefs fan.

     Anyone from Kansas City can relate to my struggle of team loyalty. As a Loyal Royal and a member of Chiefs Nation, some seasons I've had to put in more effort than I got out, but that's what devotion looks like.
     To earn understanding and respect for the Chiefs, you must first see some of their past. To make this as simple as possible, I'll talk only about their past season records.
     In 2010, the Chiefs finished the season with a 10-6 record, meaning they won 10 games of the 16 they played. That was a tremendous improvement from their 2009 season, where they finished with a 4-12 record. But it was kind of all downhill from there. In 2011, they only won 7 of their 16 games and last year, in 2012, the Chiefs ended their season 2-14. That means they won 2 games out of the 16 they played. Two games. The Chiefs tied for the worst record of the season and lost all chances of making it to the playoffs by week 12 of the regular season. Though they tied for the worst record, statistically speaking, the Chiefs were the worst team in the NFL.
     As fans, we've watched this franchise hire and fire coaches, trade players, break players, heal players, and lose players. Yet as fans, we were ecstatic about qualifying for the first pick in the 2013 NFL draft, we still wore the jerseys of injured players, we saluted Reid and respected Dorsey as they came to our rescue this season. Because as fans, all we truly want is to see our team do well.
     After talking to one of my good friends Megan Armstrong, who broke down the coaching and the Chiefs' success, the how is more clear. How did the Chiefs come from the worst team in the NFL to the top of the AFC West, having the best record in football? This season every defensive player is ranked in the top 15 of his position, yet not much change to the roster from last season. The talent was there, what their defense lacked was the guidance. The team had no sense of family, no reason for unity. We look at players like Alex Smith who needed a fresh start from San Francisco, or even head coach Andy Reid who needed a new beginning after Philadelphia.
     Specifically, quarterback Alex Smith isn't outstanding on his own, he doesn't have a cannon for an arm or the most delicate long ball. But Reid still saw potential in him and needed Smith for his vision for the Chiefs. Jamaal Charles hasn't ran nearly as many yards as his previous seasons with the Chiefs, but has high, if not the highest fantasy value of running backs.

     I don't write this to express my strong feelings for the Chiefs and Kansas City pride. I don't write this to get you excited about average players under good leadership. I write this because with every play I watch, every article I read, statistic thrown at me, with every press conference I tune into, I see God's provision in my own life. I'm just an average quarterback with a good offensive coordinator. With teammates around me playing their position in the Body of Christ to make up a winning team. And as a fan, I see my brother's and sister's in Christ fail from time to time again, yet I root for their success and I'm still standing next to them when they're back on their peaks and I'll be there for them when they're back in the valleys.
     God has a plan for us. But only if we're willing to let Him use our talents can He use us for His glory. Only if we're willing to walk blindly onto His waters, only if we're willing to accept the trade to a new city. To get over the pain of not being good enough in the world's standards, can we be made strong by His measure. God has a vision if you have the passion.
     Guys, God uses sub par, average people for extraordinary things, but only if you're listening, only if you let Him.

I'm just a donkey

     There's an ongoing joke in my house that I'm the good kid; the "Tebow" of the family. I'm the one with the answers on "how to pray" and what bible verse is applicable to whichever situation. Almost every bible reference conversation with directed to me starts with, "Now, I'm sure you know this better than I do, Sis, but in the bible it says. . ." Those factors have played two huge, totally different roles in my walk. They've fed both my insecurities and my pride.
     In high school, it was a huge pressure to be the Tebow of the family. I just wanted my siblings and peers to look at me like a normal teenager. So I tried to run from my spiritual calling and went out and made some dumb decisions to bring my suburban street cred up. These things never really got me on my parents' bad side--that was kind of annoying--but instead, my parents did an almost too good of job at showing Christ through their parenting, for they never once condemned me for my faults. They were surely disappointed, which is always worse, but they protected me. They established their authority, but they gave me grace and love all the same.
     Now, those dumb decisions didn't get the same response from others. The devil fed me lies that I wasn't good enough to be back in God's graces. That these people would always be there judging me and my walk and I might as well just give up.
     But was I seeking the approval of man or of God? Or was I trying to please people? If that's the case, I wouldn't be a servant for the Lord.
     Galatians 1:10 was constantly being rehearsed in my head, because I constantly had to remind myself that those other people didn't matter, I wasn't a people pleaser, I was a servant of Christ. I was a carrier, an ambassador of His good news and He would use my story to bring Him glory.
     Years removed from that part of my walk, I find myself stuck on the other end of that spectrum. I'm not being fed the lies that I'm not good enough, it's the lies that I'm too good. What's the point of memorizing more scripture if I already have so much memorized as it is? Why would I read more of my Bible if I've already heard all those stories and know how they end? My parents think my walk is more than sufficient, why go overboard?
     There's a story in Matthew (21:1-11) about "The Triumphal Entry" when Jesus comes into Jerusalem on a donkey and the crowds are stoked about seeing their Savior come. The crowds shout, "Hosanna in the highest!" for Jesus, the Son of God, the salvation that they've been waiting for is finally in front of them. Like, people are going crazy. The passage even says they laid their cloaks and branches on the road for Jesus and his donkey, so he wouldn't have to even step on the dirt below Him.
     I always knew this story as Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. I never thought much of it until I heard it in new light during one Palm Sunday church service.
     What if the donkey thought all this commotion was for him?
     What if the donkey saw the crowds yelling to Hosanna in the highest, dropping their cloaks to the ground and thought it was all for him, the donkey? When in all actuality, the donkey's sole purpose is to fulfill prophecy, to carry the message that the Savior has come.
     I tend to forget that no praise and glory is for me, I'm just a reflector of His majesty. I don't need the praise and glory, in fact, I have done absolutely nothing to deserve it. I tend to forget the other side of Galatians 1:10. That I'm not seeking the approval of man, but of God. Pleasing people will get me no where, but giving God all the glory is one of the few heavenly gifts we here on earth are blessed to participate in. I'm nothing more than a donkey carrying the good news that the Savior has come.
     My pride may get to me and my insecurities may be fed, but I'm only human. I have one of two choices: I can sit in my misery and remind myself how sinful and undeserving I am, or I can quit insulting God and His work and praise Him for the life He has designed for me. I've spent much time in both of those areas, and let me tell you, the latter is much more liberating.

Galatians 1:10 ESV
     For am I know seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Romans 7:21-25a NLT
     I have discovered this principle of life--that when I do what is right, I inevitable do what is  wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.