NFL Draft vs.
God's Draft
The 2016 NFL draft is now in the
history books.
While this has little or no meaning to many in the general public, this
is an event my husband and I follow, particularly the first two
rounds. We have interest in seeing which players are chosen
early, especially the Heisman trophy winner and runner-ups.
We
also have interest in seeing which draft round the players from the
college football teams we follow are selected.
A few
days after the draft, I thought about how different the NFL draft is
from the draft for those who join God’s team. Granted, I’m
speaking metaphorically, but it’s a significant observation.
For
months prior to the NFL draft, college players from all positions
within offense, defense and special teams compete in columbines that
test their skill sets. The columbine competitions allow
coaches
and scouts from each NFL team to see firsthand the abilities and
talents of each player, including speed, agility, strength and
endurance.
The players are also given extensive
physicals. It’s not unusual for college players to incur
injuries
at some point in their college-playing years, so coaches need to know
if those injuries will interfere or limit a player at the professional
level.
While coaches and scouts observe the
players, they generally know the positions their respective team has a
need, so they will pay the most attention to the players who can fill
those roles. They’ll most likely have a preference of a first
pick if that player is still available. If he’s not, they’ll
have
a back-up plan in place. If the team’s need is great enough,
head
coaches might negotiate with other teams for the possibility of moving
up in the round by giving away draft picks or trading players.
After
evaluating the total physicality and skills of a player, the last area
a team will consider is the player’s character and
reputation. In
the past I’ve seen many teams pass over a terrific athlete because of
the poor behavior he exhibited during college, or if he got in trouble
with the law. This very thing happened this year, as
well.
If he was a “bad boy” in college, will that carry over to the
professional level? Does the player’s potential abilities and
contribution to the team outweigh the potential problems the player
might bring to a team?
When it comes to the NFL,
only a small percentage of college players are deemed good enough to
merit becoming a draft statistic. The bottom line for each
draft
pick an NFL team makes is based on selecting the best of the
best. And, just because a player is drafted, that doesn’t
mean
the player makes the team’s final roster. During the spring
and
pre-season practices these players have to continue to prove they
belong in the professional ranks of football, otherwise they will be
cut from the team before the season even begins.
In
comparison, it doesn’t matter to God how good you are, or how bad,
immoral, or dishonest. He wants you regardless of
your
weaknesses, character flaws or lack of skills. There are no
tryouts, auditions or preparations required to be on God’s
team.
He loves and accepts you just as you are. His invitation to
be on
His team will never be withdrawn, and your team membership is permanent.
Unlike
the NFL coaches who seek the most skilled and very best athletic
players, God seeks the weakest, the unfit and the unwanted to be on His
team. And, unlike the columbines that give players a chance
to
demonstrate how good they are, God doesn’t care about anyone’s
goodness. He seeks those who grasp that coming to Him means
their
achievements are meaningless, and that their abilities, their work,
their skills and talents will never earn salvation or heaven.
They can never be good enough to merit what Jesus did for them on the
cross. That’s why the world describes his selflessness as
Amazing
Grace! You don’t need to wait to be drafted, His invitation
to
you is always open. It’s up to you to become a “walk on”
player
and join God’s team.
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