It’s a wonderful time to be a Texan right now! It’s been quite sometime since we’ve been able to say this out loud, but…How about them Cowboys! Yessir, the Dallas Cowboys have actually shown up this season. They have six wins, their most recent win coming against the Super Bowl champion Seahawks! The Cowboys are here ladies and gents, and it looks like they’re for real this season. For some fans, it’s a great time to come out of hiding and declare their devotion!
Looking back at the last few seasons, this is such a welcomed change! Fans have been disappointed, discouraged and disillusioned, pretty much because we just weren’t sure what version of the team was going to show up. I think the best way to describe us as Cowboys fans lately, is one word: insecure
Insecure: not confident or sure; uncertain, not adequately guarded or sustained; not firmly fastened or fixed
You know, as I think about the definition of insecurity, I think about the experience of being a “fan” of something or someone. To be a fan means that you are an enthusiastic admirer…from a distance, usually as a spectator. A fan typically watches and cheers when their team is winning, and feels insecure when rooting for a team that isn’t playing to their potential.
Have you ever felt that? Not wanting to say that you’re a fan of something too loudly because it just may not be the greatest season?
See, as we find ourselves on the sidelines, watching and waiting for something to cheer for, there is always a hint of insecurity. Insecurity is often the sense that makes us say things like, “I’ll believe it when I see it”. I recall telling a friend of mine this past weekend when he asked me about the Cowboys, “Well, if they win this game against the Seahawks, they just might be for real…”, obviously there was insecurity in my response. I think that the insecurity came from the team’s performance over the past couple of seasons, or honestly, lack of performance.
I truly feel that this sense of insecurity can translate to discovering our identity in Christ. When we feel insecure about rooting for God in our lives, we just may have a “fan” mentality, meaning, we define our identity based on how good our “season” is. If it’s not a good season, we become insecure about who we are in Him, so our lives that aren’t fully fastened or fixed in Christ’s love.
I want to remind you, that in Christ, we are not called to be fans or spectators, we are called to be followers. A follower not only believes in what Jesus could do, but allows themselves to be led by what He has already done. You see, as we are led by Jesus we discover not only who He is, but who we are, and what we’re living for. Paul says it so well in Ephesians 1
“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.” Ephesians 1:11-12 (MSG)
What a powerful truth, in Christ we find out who we are and what we are living for; long before we were followers or even fans, long before we could even get our hopes up, he had a glorious design for our lives. That is the security we have in Christ, is that you are complete in Him, long before you ever even heard of Him. In Him you have the meaning to your life, even when your “season” doesn’t add up to winning. Please remember that the only identity equation that works is:
You + Jesus = Wholeness and Meaning
You can have security in the fact that God’s love for us is the strongest foundation to build our lives upon. So, even if the Cowboys start losing again, you are still a winner, IN HIM. You don’t have to wait to see it to believe and receive it! In Him you know who you are, In Him you discover what you are living for, In Him you have a glorious design. You don’t have to be an insecure fan anymore, you can live as a confident follower!
Live Extraordinarily!
Jared
