The Evatt's Beautiful Mess: Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?

It's that wonderful time of the year again..........

Football season!

(insert major sarcasm!)

The time of the year when church attendance tapers drastically and folks are at home glued to the television watching all their tivo-ed games or just too tired from being at the game on the previous day! If you couldn't tell already, I'm not a football fan AT ALL! I just don't have a passion for the game like some do. I have such a lack of passion for it, that I don't even care to learn all the rules of the game and "what's what"! In fact, if you sit me in a stadium with thousands of fans, the only way I know to cheer most time is from watching all the crazed fans around me!

This is how some Christians seem to feel about praise and worship to our Savior.

In middle school, high school, and throughout college I was a "band nerd". Better yet, I was the ring leader; the drum major! Beat that! So, as I led the band under the Friday night lights, I was forced to learn the basics of football in order to know when to strike up the band! So, I learned enough to get by, but I still had zero passion for the sport. My passion was the music! I came to football games for the half-time show, and because I had such a passion for music, I grew to understand it more and more and absolutely LOVED to be a participant!

My point behind all of this lies in the analogy I hear quite often in churches all around during this most beloved season; "If you can jump up and down and cheer for a football game, how much more praise are you going to give God?" I've heard it stated several different ways, but you get the gist. Now don't get me wrong, I understand the analogy and believe that we should be able to give an even better praise to our very Creator, however, after pondering this analogy for awhile now, I've finally decided that it truly deals with the matters of understanding and passion.

I don't know about you, but I sincerely have a hard time cheering and rooting for something that I don't have a passion for. Much like football! Even if I didn't quite understand everything about football, a passion for wanting to learn the game is where it starts! Anyone with a passion for the game, is then challenged to understand the game; which in turn, makes them a GREAT FAN! Personally, I get a kick out of those lunatic fans! It's fun for me just to watch them!

Have you ever had a hard time singing the praises of God and truly worshiping Him in the beauty of holiness? I have! It was during a time in my life that I had a major lack of passion. Sure I was a Christian, but it sure was hard for me to offer praise! I also just didn't understand much about who Jesus really was, and didn't care too much to learn, because of my lack of passion!

As for me, I want to give God a crazy praise! Let me proudly claim the title, Jesus Freak! It started with a passion for Him after He redeemed my life, and out of that passion has come a thirst for understanding! Will I ever understand Him fully? No, but by trying to know more and more about Him, my passion grows deeper still, and I absolutely love singing and proclaiming His praises!