The Christian Impact of Russell Wilson
Have you ever listened to an interview given by Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson? If you have, you can virtually count on hearing two things. At the end of the interview, he will say, "Go Hawks!" And, if the interviewer touts his ability to play the game in any way during the interview, Russell will very quickly give credit to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Then, he will expound on the football reasons why he succeeded.
An interesting thing happens when Russell gives credit to Jesus. The interviewer almost never acknowledges anything about Jesus. He or she will quickly move on to the football part of the answer or ask another question. The interviewer is usually an employee of a major media outlet/network, like NBC, CBS, ESPN, FOX or maybe a major newspaper. So, has the interviewer been trained to not respond one way or the other to comments about Jesus or God? Do those networks hate Jesus? Those are questions worth pondering. I suspect some of the folks in charge don't want anything to do with Jesus. I think others are just uncomfortable and would rather not dwell on any religion related topic. By the way, I'm not a person who hates all of the media. Absolutely not! I have friends and family who work in media. I'll admit that it gets on my nerves when some try to interject or force their opinions in the middle of news reporting that SHOULD BE unbiased. Good places exist for opinions. They are called the Opinion Page in a newspaper or Opinion Segments on TV.
In any event, the trend to omit Jesus is troubling to me, and it's not getting any better. Here's what I would like my readers to think about. How does it make YOU feel when Christians, like Russell Wilson, mention Jesus? Do you kind of tense up and wish the Christian hadn't mentioned it and are happy that it didn't get dwelled upon? Or, are you genuinely happy Jesus was mentioned? Before I was saved, I was one of those people who would rather the topic quickly be changed but not any more. I'm thrilled when an athlete mentions Jesus! If you tense up, it might be worth thinking about how close your relationship is to Jesus.
By the way, I think the Seahawks will do well this year. They lost CB Shaquill Griffin and DT Jarran Reed, but they got much needed offensive line help by signing former Raiders OG Gabe Jackson, and they signed former Rams TE Gerald Everett. They drafted blazing fast receiver, D'Wayne Eskridge, with their top pick. I'm thinking about 12 wins, 5 losses and on their way to the playoffs. More importantly, I'm thinking Russell Wilson is on his way to hearing, "Well done thou good and faithful servant!"
May God always be your number 1 draft pick!