UNPACK This...Renewing Our MindsSample

NFL Star Learns From Tennis In a Peter King “Football Morning in America” article on NBCsports.com , the author asked NFL quarterback, Russell Wilson about attending Wimbledon in 2022 and “what he learned from the great tennis players that means something in his professional life.” Wilson said, “Well, I think I learned, one serve at a time. One serve at a time. One serve at a time. Just the ability to go in and go out, to regain your focus. To be able to…The crowd roars, and the crowd boos, ‘ahh,’ ‘ooh,’ and the crowd roars again. One serve at a time. One stroke at a time. It’s just, one moment at a time.” Tennis and football are very different, yet like most sports, they require a “one play at a time” approach. Similarly, in our own lives, we must take the approach of living one moment at a time and having the ability to refocus after things don’t go the way we had hoped. Unfortunately, it’s very easy for us to get distracted by the “crowd’s ahhs and oohs” or to dwell on the previous “play” or be anxious about the next one. That’s why we must refocus on God’s presence in our lives, yielding to the Spirit as we think about the right things one moment at a time. Paul explains in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s Word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].” Colossians 3:2 simply says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” When life gets overwhelming or we start worrying about outcomes, we must remember to refocus on loving God and loving people “one serve at a time.” I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I confess I get distracted, worried, and overwhelmed, but I pray You would help me refocus on loving You and loving others. I desire to set my mind on things above and not on earthly things. Help me to live moment by moment, with my attention on You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.