You Don't Have To Be The Best To Be Blessed

When I think of great Christian athletes my mind immediately jumps to the best. Russel Wilson, for example, is one talented quarterback who does not hold back his faith. We know him not only as a star athlete, but as a good guy. Someone that you can put your trust in. A guy who knows what he's talking about. So on, and so on. It is great that he has a national platform allowing him to speak to an average of 19.2 million viewers per game. It's even better that he makes it a point to talk about Christ. He is, in a sense, like the apostles Peter and John when they spoke about the power of Jesus in the public courts. It is a very effective way to get the gospel out there, but chances are that you do not have the ability to do this. I for one don't.

I played some college ball but I was never an NCAA star. I powerlift for my university and for my gym, but I'm just an above average competitor. No one is asking me to give post meet interviews no matter how well I do. To put it simply, I do not have a massive anonymous platform to shout the name of Christ. I doubt you do either. You may just be a down to earth hard working American who likes to give it their best, even if they aren't.

I competed with a friend this past weekend and I got second. Nothing to be embarrassed about, but the guy who beat me was a far more phenomenal lifter than I. He was posted all over social media outlets allowing his actions and words to reach thousands. He had the kind of anonymous platform that Peter and John did. I, on the other hand, only had the guys around me to break bread  with.

I'm more like Paul. When I think of Paul the image of a battered, worn down, and smiling character comes to mind. He put in a lot of work just to talk to a handful of people. Sure, he was able to write letters to large groups (like a big facebook post) and he got to speak in front of peers (like at a gym), but he also spent a lot of time putting in personal time. When I compete or travel for my professional hobby I make an effort to individually reach out to people. I'll never be the animal who shocks everyone and has hustle away from a crowd to breath. I'm that guy sitting next to you, cracking jokes and getting to know you. I make my ministry as personal as possible.

This is a great way for most people to feel and spread the gospel. We can't all have a camera in our face allowing us to shout our faith, but we do have the opportunity to talk to individual people and put in real personal ministry.