Honoring the Spirit within

Last week one of the receivers on our city’s national league football team crashed heads with another player in a game down east. He dropped the ball, leaped to cover it, and didn’t move after that. Number 83 broke his neck.

As he was taken by ambulance to the hospital, fans feared the worst. An injury like this usually means paralysis or worse. However, this player was moving his feet, a good sign. We listened to the radio for progress reports of his surgery, but nothing could have prepared us for what we saw last night.

The team had another game, this time at home. Before the game, Number 83, in a huge neck brace, walked (yes, walked) into the locker room. I cannot imagine how his team members felt, but the newscast afterward showed that this player was clearly a leader among them. They were visibly moved, and responded in a remarkable way.

Late in the game (we were losing), one of our receivers intercepted a ball. After the whistle, he pulled up his jersey to show that his undershirt was emblazoned with a big 83. Later in the game, another receiver caught the ball—same thing; he pulled up his shirt to reveal the same number. Every home team receiver had the number 83 sewn to their undershirts! Every catch was followed by arms raised in tribute to their teammate in the neck brace watching the game from a box seat.

In an interview with a local television newscaster, Number 83 said that only the Lord could have kept him from worse injury and that he was thankful to the Lord that he not only survived, but was up and walking only days after breaking his neck.

This morning’s newspaper has a photo of several home team receivers holding up their shirts to show the number 83. This declares how the spirit of this man inspired them to come from behind and win the game. As I think about this photo, a line from a song runs through my head. It says, “His Spirit is within me. . . .”

Today’s reading is about the same thing, only a different Spirit. The verse is Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

The Spirit of the living God lives in His people. That Spirit conquers both sin and death and gives me life. By the power of God, I live and breathe. My ‘recovery’ from the blows of sin may not be as dramatic as Number 83's recovery from his physical trauma, nevertheless, this is of the Lord. Just as that football player could say that the Lord kept him, I can say that I am kept from the injury of sin and power of death by the same Lord.

What challenges me the most is not just the testimony of Number 83, but the response and support of his teammates. For each play, they gave honor to their injured friend. In the same joyful spirit, I ought to honor my Hero. He was injured and even died for me, not by accident, but with purpose. He gave Himself that I can live free and with power.

I’m not a huge football fan, but last night, Number 83 and team captivated my heart with a great illustration of what it means to give glory to God. Surely, I ought to pull back that which people see on the surface, not considering my own “number” to be important, and reveal to the world which Spirit inspires me to carry on. My Hero is not only a team mate, but the Captain of my soul, the Lord Jesus Christ. He took the fall for me and set me free to live and do my best for our team and for Him.