I try to refrain from writing blogs about sports for the simple reason that a lot of people couldn’t care less about it, but stick with me on this one and pretend its more of an illustration than the whole topic.  I watched the Giants win the Super Bowl last weekend and then started to hear people whine about them not being “the best team, just the hottest at that time.”  The argument was the same I heard last year with the Packers and what gets thrown around all March during the college basketball tournament.  My question is this; Is it more important to be the better team during the year, or the hottest team when it counts?

This goes beyond sports.  When you take a look at multiple success stories, many times it’s people who have failed over and over again, but continue to plug away.  Although most of them have never been considered the best in their area, what they produce becomes so much bigger than what anyone would have given them credit for before the trophies, medals, or rewards were handed out.

And here’s where it gets personal…

How do you look at your life?  If God were to show up right now with the opportunity of a lifetime, would you seize it even though you don’t “deserve” it?  My mind instantly goes to the life of Peter, the disciple of Jesus.   Throughout the majority of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John) Peter is the one who seems to be the liability in the group! Much less the one who would end up leading a movement that would later become known as Christianity!  Almost every time he is mentioned it is because God is using him as a teaching example… and not always a positive one!  Most distinctly, he is the man who straight up denied even knowing Jesus 3 times as He was on trial to be crucified.  Yet, after the death and resurrection he is the one sitting on the bank with Jesus being given another chance (John 21:15-17).  Technically he was given 3 chances to answer, the same number of chances he was given the night of the crucifixion and failed at each!

All of a sudden, the one who no one thought would lead became the voice of the Christian movement.  It wasn’t because he was the “most likely,” it was because when the world needed answers about what was happening in the upper room guess who stepped up to the window to seize the opportunity? Peter! (Acts 2:14)

The point is this; God knows you aren’t perfect.  God knows you have failures and losses in your past.  He’s not asking you to roll through your life undefeated.  But in every season of our lives God gives us chances to overshadow all of those shortcomings with an opportunity.  Are you willing to forget your past? Are you willing look beyond the voices telling you you aren’t good enough? Step up to the window like Peter did, seize the opportunity, and become the champion that God created you to be.