I see it every week during (American) football season (mostly because that is the only sports that I really watch anymore). A player will score a touchdown or extra point or do something otherwise exceptional in the game. Then they will look up, point the sky, and sometimes mouth something.
I also see people wearing a crucifix around their necks.
Or, people headed to a weekly church service as if skipping will jinx them.
Another sporting example comes from my own time running Cross Country. Another runner kept quoting Isaiah 40:31 on the day of a particularly big race. It was a mantra for him. I tried to talk to him about the meaning of the scripture but he really didn’t want to hear what it meant. He just wanted the benefits of “run[ning] and not grow[ing] weary.”
I don’t doubt that there is real relationship behind some of the instances above. However, all too often, especially in the sporting events, God is used as a good luck charm.
“If I don’t point up, God will punish me and not let me score points next time.”
“If I don’t wear my cross, something bad will happen to me when I’m out and about.”
. . .if only they really understood the love God has for them instead of treating it like a “get out of jail free” card from Monopoly. God in His infinite love for people isn’t just a good luck charm. In fact, in one of my favorite verses in the Bible, Jesus promises everything but good luck (emphasis mine):
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV)
Instead of worrying about a good luck charm, we have the opportunity to be the beneficiary of God’s great love for us. Nothing in the world is as great as that!
It’s wonderful to give God credit for His greatness. It’s exceptional to honor Him in your words and actions. It’s okay to have a crucifix around your neck to remind you of Him regularly.
However, don’t forget that the Creator of the world created the world and us to have relationship with us. He’s not just a good luck charm.
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