I love
watching soccer, and I am a fan of the Liverpool Football Club in England’s
Premier League. When the Reds are playing, it is an anxiety-filled experience
for me. Because one goal or one misplay can change the game’s outcome, I feel a
constant tension as I watch. That is part of what makes the games enjoyable.
Recently, though, I saw a tape-delayed replay of one of Liverpool’s games. I
was surprised how much calmer I felt seeing the replay. Why? Because I already
knew the outcome, and as a result I was able to relax and enjoy the action.
Life is
often like observing live sporting events. There are shocks and surprises,
frustrations and fears, because we are unsure of the outcome. Followers of
Christ can draw comfort, however, from the fact that though many of life’s
situations are uncertain, our eternal outcome is settled by the work of Jesus
Christ on the cross.
The
apostle John wrote, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name
of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).
Life may present us with surprises along the way, but because of Christ’s work
we can have peace. He has already settled our eternal outcome.
Peace
rules the day when God rules the heart. (RBC)
