To be honest, I had no clue who Russell Wilson was until halfway through the 2013 NFL season. I watch football, but don’t follow it like I do baseball. I tend to follow players in football, not teams, etc. I love watching RGIII, loved watching Tebow, and a handful of others. But Russell Wilson really caught my attention this year. But it wasn’t so much his playing, which was great. It was his faith.
Tons of players out there do the, “I wanna thank God” bit in their interviews, but you can really tell there is something different about Russell Wilson. He really seems like he means it. And, while I really like a good player, I love to know that great player loves the Lord.
On Facebook, I came across a video of Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill in Seattle interviewing Russell about football, faith, and his life. I was hooked. And as I started to read more and watch more, I began to see the real Russell Wilson. He’s the guy who plays hard, and excels on the field, but also a guy who visits children in hospitals so much, they’ve renamed Tuesdays Blue Tuesdays in honor of his visits. I read some of the things the beneficiaries of these visits had to say about Russell. The typical response was that he was the real deal. He the guy who, at every opportunity, gives glory to God, but not in that overly flashy way, but, rather, in humility and grace. My admiration of the guy grew even more. Then I came across an article by Kevin Van Valkenburg on ESPN.com that made it official. I’m a fan. And within an hour or so researching this guy, there are three things that stand out, three things I think everyone can learn from Russell Wilson.
1. The value of acknowledging God in all you do.
I have yet to hear an interview from Russell Wilson where he does not acknowledge God’s goodness and the fact that he is where he is today because of God. It’s so easy today to lose sight of God’s actions in our lives. Especially when dealing with an athlete who just won the Super Bowl.
It is so easy to rely on our own strength, our own abilities, our own talents, and say that we are the reason we are where we are. Hard work, determination, natural ability or skill, are things that we hear people say that aren’t really bad things at all, they are great things, but we need to be very careful to acknowledge that it is God that gives us the ability to do what we do. And ultimately, it is for His glory.
Proverbs 3:6 tells us, “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths (ESV).” It isn’t just about giving credit where credit is due. When you give God the credit for what he’s done in your life, it opens the door for him to straighten out anything that is crooked in your life. Isn’t that a wonderful promise?
2. The value of honoring God in all you do.
People have asked Russell Wilson if he gets nervous when he goes on to the field. I don’t care if it is a preseason game, or the Super Bowl, I think I would be nervous to walk out onto a professional football field ready to lead a team. There has to be some nerves, right?!
Each time he has been asked that question, he simply replies, “No, because I know I am playing for an audience of one.” Whether he is driving to the endzone or visiting children in a hospital, he does it as unto the Lord. He has been pretty clear about that in the interviews that I have seen.
How would it change your life right now if you committed to doing everything as if you were doing it for Jesus? What if every document at school you created, every task you did at work, or chore you did at home was done to honor God? It would change how you did things. Those tedious things that you dreaded before could in fact become a blessing. That’s because the reason changes from necessity to opportunity.
What if rather than looking at your work as means to get a paycheck, you looked at it in a way that says, “Thank you, God,for giving me this job so that I can provide my for my family and do the work you called me to do.” Would it change how you did your job, or how dedicated you were to it? And you know, you don’t have to be in full-time ministry to do work that honors God. In fact, if you believe Colossians 3:23, which says, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people,” you have the opportunity to honor God quite literally in every single thing you do.
There is a reason for that. It involves the word reputation. The Bible tells us that a reputation is to be desired above great riches. (Prov 22:1) Whether you realize it or not, every single thing you do either points to or away from Jesus Christ. I know you have heard that old saying, “You may be the only Jesus someone sees.” That can be good and bad, right? That’s why it is so important to honor God in every aspect of your life. When people see you honoring God, they will do the same. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 ESV)
3. The value of trusting God in all you do.
Russell Wilson has not always had it easy. It is really easy to think that these big stars have it made with all the money they make, etc. Just look at entertainment headlines over the last year and see how many stars have died from drug overdoses. That should tell you that money and fame isn’t everything. Russell lost his father a few years back. He has said in interviews that his father was a major influence in his life, as well he should be. His father was a godly man who led Russell into a great relationship with Jesus. During an interview with Michael Irvin, Michael asked if he thought about his dad, wishing that his dad could see him now. Naturally, Russell said every single day. It can be very hard to trust God through those hard times. But he never flinched. Russell continued to trust.
We are talking about a guy who is 5’11” tall trying to play quarterback in the NFL. He was the 12th pick in the third round (75th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. He hasn’t always had it easy. He has had some cards stacked against him. But he has always trusted in God. Since his salvation experience when he was 14, he made a commitment to trust God. He hasn’t turned back on that. He hasn’t used God only when he needed him. He has been committed to a relationship with Jesus Christ. Faithful. Dedicated. He obviously trusts God.
Life is going to get hard. The Bible tells us that rain falls on the just and the unjust. (Matt 5:45) Problems are going to come. But Jesus says, “Take heart. I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
It is evident that he trusts God. I quoted a verse earlier in Proverbs 3, but I did not mention the very first part of that verse, so here it is now: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5, 6 ESV) If you are in a battle right now, or if all the world is right, you need to trust God. Good times, bad times, whatever. Trust him. He’ll never let you down.
Granted, I don’t know every single thing about Russell Wilson. But from what I’ve seen, he’s more than a role model. He is a godly man that obviously has a strong relationship with Jesus Christ. I hope that when football season kicks up again you’ll catch a few Seahawks games. Search YouTube for the Mark Driscoll/Russell Wilson interviews with 5 or 6 other Seahawks who love Jesus. I promise you will be blessed by what they have to say, and by the fact that all of them genuinely live the life that they talk about. In today’s America, a world where what and how much you have is more important than who you are or what you stand for, it is rare, especially in sports, when you see someone glorifying God in all they do. You can’t help but look up and glorify their Father in Heaven.
It is refreshing. It is why I am a new fan. Go Russell. Go Hawks. Go God!
1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Be blessed,
J