God Is My Number One Fan
09-14-2007
by Johann Snyder

Football season is back, hallelujah. The first week of the season was an exciting one, and it had a cathartic, serene influence on me. It was like welcoming home an old friend, or at least a faithful pet. Best of all, it reminded me of the fact that I am an MVP.

A Fan of the Season 

During the off-season, there is a gaping hole in my weekend left by the absence of football. My weekends seem disorganized and out of order. Each weekend during the off-season I have to try and figure out what I’m going to do. I have to struggle to come up with some sort of plan to fill my time. It’s a daunting task that takes a lot of effort, so it’s a huge relief when football season rolls around. Once the season starts, my weekends are a breeze; I know exactly what I’m going to be doing and when. My schedule is already planned-out for me with out any effort on my part necessary. It’s a freeing experience to once again have my weekends in order. The off-season is rough, but once football is underway, all is right with the world once again.

A Fan of the Team 

I’m a huge fan of the Denver Broncos, and this year I went out and got my wife and I matching, customized jerseys to help support our team. Now I know in reality that having our own customized jerseys doesn’t really have any impact on the outcome of the games, but it’s still nice to think that it might help if my team knew that I was supporting them because I’m such a huge fan. (Of course they really don’t have any idea that I’m doing that, but that’s beside the point). It’s funny how connected we can feel about our team. We’ll agonize and rejoice with them. We’ll hurt and suffer with them. We can love and hate them. It’s a very complicated relationship. Yet we are convinced that somehow as a true fan of the team, our support (often exhibited by shouting at the TV) and having everything emblazoned with the team logo will make a difference in the fortunes of our team. We know that’s not true, but for whatever reason; it feels good to be a fan. The only thing that feels better is having your own fans.

A Fan of Me 

As I was getting psyched for this year’s football season by buying new jerseys and practicing my cheer routines (not really…there’s not enough room in our living room for me to toss my wife in the air), and interesting thought occurred to me; God may not be a fan of football or of my particular team, but he is of fan of his favorite team. Me. Reading through the Bible, I see that God is always there to cheer me on, rooting for me to win. He’s there to share in my victories and he agonizes with me over my defeats. He shares in my pain when I’m injured and hurt, and he shares in my joy when I make a big play in life. Truly, God is the best fan there is, and he’s the number fan of me, and he’s the number one fan of you. In fact, if God were to wear a team jersey, he would have your name on it. The Bible even says in Isaiah that he has engraved our names on his palm. There a seasons of life that can be rough, and there are season for my football team that are worse than others. It’s so comforting to know that unlike my support of my team which really doesn’t have any impact on the outcome of their season, God’s support as a fan of my season and my life has a tremendous impact on its outcome. When I listen to his cheers of encouragement and his exhortations when I’m down, when I pay attention to his comfort when I hurt and his praise when I succeed, it makes all the difference as I go through this season of contests known as life. God is my number one fan, and he’s your number one fan; what an awesome, humbling thought.

Yes I’m stoked that the football season is finally here. The chips and dip and root beer and M&M’s are flowing freely in my home each weekend as I catch up on my favorite spectator sport. But as I watch and cheer for my team, in the back of my mind, each game, each win and each loss is a subtle reminder of an eternal truth; God is my number one fan, and with his support, I truly can’t lose.