Lingering Injuries

One of the primary goals of the preseason for teams across the NFL is to avoid their top players sustaining a significant injury. And for the time being, it appears that the Green Bay Packers are just barely accomplishing that goal.

The Packers received a serious scare when starting quarterback Jordan Love injured his thumb on his non-throwing hand during the preseason opener against the New York Jets. After observation, however, the injury was deemed not severe enough to warrant significant concern.

Even so, the injury left Love with a decision: leave the thumb untreated and continue with his preparations for the season, or undergo surgery, which would effectively end his preseason training but allow him to hopefully be 100 percent when the regular season starts.

Ultimately, Love elected to proceed with the surgery, a decision influenced by the fact that he had endured many nagging injuries while playing through the 2024 campaign.

Love recently commented, "I think with the time frame that we have right now, finishing up training camp and preseason and heading into the season with the choice to be going into the season 100% healthy was definitely the call I wanted to make. Dealing with injuries last year, I wanted to go into this thing feeling good."

Although most of us are not professional athletes who make decisions about how to properly address physical injuries, all of us do encounter different types of "injuries" as we seek to follow Jesus.

Since we continue to struggle with sin even though we have been born again in Christ, all of us will have certain dispositions or propensities towards specific sins.

And whenever those sins begin to arise in our lives, we have a choice to make: will we allow the sin to linger, continually hampering us as we go through life, or will we make the sacrifices necessary to deal with the issue comprehensively?

Throughout Scripture, we consistently see an emphasis placed upon quickly and thoroughly dealing with any issues of temptation or sin in our lives.

In Matthew 5:23-24 (ESV), for example, Jesus says, "So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

Rather than letting a fractured relationship linger while you are in the midst of worship, Jesus says it is better to stop what you are doing and address the issue now.

Likewise, 2 Timothy 2:22 (NASB) says, "Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart."

The call to "flee" from temptation is powerful language. It emphasizes the potential danger that exists when we linger around temptation and fail to address it immediately.

Just as an athlete who attempts to play through a lingering injury rather than addressing it runs the risk of further damage and hindering their ultimate goals, followers of Jesus who do not flee from temptation run the risk of falling into deeper sin, which keeps them from glorifying God in the manner they desire.

James 1:14-15 (NIV) says, "But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

Notice the progression that takes place in that passage. It starts with people's temptation, which is common to all of us (1 Corinthians 10:13). However, because a person does not flee from the temptation, it eventually gives way to sin. And when we don't deal with that sin quickly and comprehensively, it ultimately gives way to death.

Today, let's ensure that we don't allow "injuries" to linger in our lives. No matter what sacrifices we may have to make, let's address issues of sin or temptation that arise promptly, so that we may better bring glory and honor to God.

I'm Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me all that I need to live a life that is pleasing to You. Please help me flee from temptation and sin so that I can live a holy and righteous life for Your glory. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.