I watched this last Super Bowl game. Loved the game. Not so thrilled with the halftime. And as a disclaimer, yes, I am not thrilled with the organizations or politics behind most professional sports. I am however, enthralled by some of the backstories behind the men and women who play the sports.
This year’s Super Bowl had a myriad of backstories. Matthew Stafford, No. 1 draft pick in 2009 by the Detroit Lions never won a playoff game before coming to the Rams this year. Now he’s won a Super Bowl.
Van Jefferson who caught a number of Stafford’s passes found out at the end of the game that his wife left the stadium in labor. She made one request to the Rams before the Super Bowl: if she goes into labor during the game, do not tell her husband until afterward.
But the backstory that enthralled me was that of MVP of the game, Cooper Kupp. Kupp and his wife are strong, dedicated Christians. They live their lives for Christ Jesus. Kupp was on the losing side of a Super Bowl the last time the Rams played. God gave him a vision as he left the field in defeat. Here are his words: “God revealed to me that we were going to come back, we were going to be part of a Super Bowl, we were going to win it. And somehow I was going to walk off the field as the MVP of the game.”
Kupp told one other person about that vision. What God revealed to him is exactly what happened. But Kupp had more to say, “It was written already and I just got to play free, knowing that I got to play from victory, not for victory. I got to play in a place where I was validated not from anything that happened on the field but because of my worth in God and my Father.”
He added, “I think the thing that He has taught me is that you will find that you are most fulfilled, you will find the most joy, when you are rooted in your purpose, and specifically rooted in His purpose for you. That, to me, has been one of the best things about this year.”
Kupp has said that one of his favorite Bible passages is 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, which reads: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
The glitter on that Super Bowl ring will fade, but that Crown (!), it will last forever! Amen.
