Dear Peace Families,
As many of you know, I am a big sports fan and care a lot about our Minnesota professional sports teams. And last week, Thursday-Saturday, the 88th annual NFL Draft was held down in Kansas City. Over the course of seven rounds, there were 259 players selected by the 32 NFL teams.
Prior to the draft (sometimes very prior—Todd McShay’s “Way-Too-Early 2024 NFL Mock Draft” was just posted by ESPN), there are mock drafts created by analysts and writers from all the major networks and publications. Some are just for the first round, some try for all seven—but all of them are an attempt to guess when players will be selected, and by which team.
After the draft concludes, and the mock drafts are all proven incorrect, another thing happens—the same writers and analysts then put out their “draft grades,” judging how well (or not) each team drafted.
Now, admittedly, I find mock drafts and draft grades to be interesting. It’s fun to think about certain players joining your team, and to dream about how it might lead to a championship down the road. And while I enjoy reading the opinions and analysis they offer, I never let myself get lost in them. Why? Because they simply don’t matter—it’s all just speculation.
No draft ever goes how anyone expects it to. And there’s no way to actually grade or judge the players who have joined your team until years after, when they’ve actually stepped onto the field and played for your team. And that’s what really matters—the work they put in, the ability to gain the respect of your teammates and coaches, and the power to help your team win games.
Now, what does all this sports talk have to do with your life and faith? Well, simply put, there’s a lot of mock drafts and draft grades out there in our society—both literally and figuratively.
There is a lot of noise coming from people who talk a lot, but don’t actually contribute to meaningful dialogue. There are a lot of headlines that claim to be newsworthy but are actually just speculations or opinions. There are a lot of negative opinions running through your social media feed that incite anger and fear, because it’s easier to tear each other down than build each other up. There are a lot of people who will tell you what the Bible says, and many more willing to listen—but few who have actually read it for themselves.
Jesus wasn’t known for getting lost in speculation about the future or for trying to find flaws in the people he just met. No, instead, he took the time to be present in the moment, to value the people around him, to uplift and empower everyone he met, to glorify God rather than people, and to quiet the noise so that he could embrace what really mattered.
May we go and do likewise.
Grace and Peace,
Joe
One More Thing:
May 14 is a very big day. It is the final day of Sunday School, the Alleluia Singers and Sunday School Singers will both be singing during worship, and VBS registration closes that day too–not to mention Mother’s Day! There is lots to celebrate and be grateful for.
family Tip of the Week
Is there “noise” in your life that is distracting you from the things are actually important and meaningful to you and your family? What would it take to eliminate that?