People are still talking about the Seahawks’ last play in Super Bowl XLIX. Second-guessers, Monday morning quarterbacks, and even the stylists in my hair salon were of the same opinion: a more effective play might have been to run Marshawn Lynch in Beast Mode into the end zone; or call a keeper with Russell Wilson out-foxing and side-stepping his way to a touchdown. But alas, Seahawk fans, the choice was not ours to make.
Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell opted to throw from the one yard line with 26 seconds remaining in the game, and head coach Pete Carroll agreed. Maybe they didn’t have access to all the stats that told them they converted into first downs or touchdowns a whopping 81 percent of their third or fourth down power runs and goal-to-go situations from two yards out.
In the Super Bowl game alone, they had given the ball to Lynch four out of five times in similar situations resulting in a touchdown and a first down. The only throw in that situation resulted in an incomplete pass, defended by Patriots’ Malcom Butler, who also intercepted the ill-fated pass that ended the Seahawks season on a sour note.
What can we learn from the Seahawks last play?
1. Go with your strengths. For the Patriots, their strength was their running game. For Christians, our strength is Christ. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Apart from Him we can do nothing, because in Him we live and move and have our being.
2. Run your race to win. If the Seahawks’ receiver had run his pass pattern and met the ball with the same intensity as the defender, he would have bumped him out of the way and caught the pass. For Christians, don’t let anyone cut in front of you and highjack God’s truth or keep you from pursuing the path God has for you.
On the football field and in any given situation in life, only one gets the prize. This year’s Super Bowl prize went to the Patriots. Hopefully you also enjoyed a victory in your life this week. But if you didn’t, like the Seahawks, you’ll get another chance.
The result of every choice we make shows up in the win/loss column of our lives. Thankfully we serve a God of second chances. The Seahawks are already looking forward to another chance next season.
We, too, can learn from our mistakes and look forward to a do-over. When we allow the devil to cut in on us and disrupt God’s plan for us, we can get up, dust ourselves off, and get back on the path laid out for us before the beginning of time.
When you go with Christ as your strength, you’ll win the race you’re running.
