It‘s no secret that I am a college football junkie. I buy a new WVU T-shirt every year to wear on opening day and I begin reading scouting reports and season predictions in June. College football will always be number one in the part of my heart reserved specifically for sports but there is something about March madness that brings an extra bit of excitement to the sports corner of my heart. I love the buzzer beating shots. I love the passion and competitiveness that escalates as soon as the brackets are announced. I love watching games where both teams play their best games of the season. And I love watching young college athletes have breakout games. I am not alone in my secret fascination with March madness. On Thursday when the tournament began, college sports fans around the world prepared their selves for some of the best weeks in sports history. Many changed their daily routines in order to watch their favorite team play. Some obsessively checked scores on their cell phones and others exchanged hours of sleep for hours of flat screen TV watching. And thousands filled out the infamous bracket hoping that their choices would reign supreme when the national champion is declared at the end of March Madness. (The championship game is in April so it should technically be called March and April Madness) I did all of the above. I filled out not one but two brackets. I conveniently planned my lunch on Thursday during the first half of the Mountaineer game. I checked scores on my Iphone yesterday during work. (I also took extra time in rooms that had on ESPN) And tonight I stayed up to watch Pitt lose to Butler and destroy my bracket. (As a true mountaineer fan, I never truly cheer for Pitt and that is why I completed 2 brackets!) Thankfully, March madness only comes once a year because otherwise I may become a permanent fixture on my couch all year long…I am already a permanent fixture every Saturday during college football season.
College sports, especially WVU football, make my heart very happy (My entire heart not just the sports corner) and I consider my occasional drastic life adaptations additional benefits to my blessed life. And despite my excuses, adjustments, and my 12 hour days of watching football, there is only one thing worth adapting my life for. Yes, friends that thing is Jesus. Can you imagine how awesome it would be if everyone changed their daily routines in order to set aside more time for Jesus. Or if everyone would obsessively read their bibles to get highlights from their favorite scriptures. Or if everyone traded in hours of sleep for hours of prayer. I am not the only one who has imagined these thoughts. God not only imagined these thoughts; He set His thoughts into motion. He created each of our hearts with a corner specifically fit for a King. And when you allow the excitement of Jesus to guide your days, you will understand not only His thoughts but His love. Our hearts are planned out exactly like an NCAA bracket. We can pick and choose what we put on each line but in the end, if our grand champ isn’t Jesus; we have been beaten at the buzzer by Satan. The only way to defeat Satan is to adjust our lives for Jesus. Don’t waste another second of your life filling your days with restless nights of sleep, obsessions over health issues and finances, and lifestyle changes that end in sin every time. Pick your champion now and make daily adjustments to make more time for Jesus. He is the only true Cinderella story. He is the only one who won’t fall apart when the world throws new defenses at Him. He is the only one who can escalate the passion and fervor inside of you. Will you change your bracket around to make Jesus your champion? Will you adjust your life for more of Jesus? When you do the corners of your heart set aside for everything else in life will become smaller because the corner for Jesus will begin to take over.
One of my brackets took a major hit tonight when Butler University beat Pittsburgh in one of the craziest basketball games I have ever watched. And I am sure before the end of the tournament; my bracket will take another hit because anything is possible during March madness. I am also sure that before the end of March my life will endure hits. And when the madness comes; I will adjust my life so I can become closer to my champion…My champion who makes all things possible as long as I believe.
Verse to remember: Jeremiah 13:15-16 Hear and pay attention, do not be arrogant, for the LORD has spoken. 16 Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings the darkness, before your feet stumble on the darkening hills. You hope for light, but he will turn it to utter darkness and change it to deep gloom.
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