Locked-In Panthers

Football Sundays are so much fun in the fall, especially when your favorite team wins and your Fantasy teams do well. Normally, as I sit and watch the action, I have three TVs going on at once. They aren't fancy, but they enable me to keep up with multiple games at once. 

I am a lifelong Carolina Panthers fan, but admittedly, they don’t always get my full attention on Sunday afternoons because I’m watching NFL RedZone on another TV at the same time. I go back and forth, trying my best to juggle all the games, which means muting and unmuting the commentators as my eyes rotate between the TVs.

But yesterday was different: for the first time since December 2016, the Panthers appeared on Sunday Night Football, facing the Detroit Lions. It was a big deal for the fan base and city to be on the national stage in primetime.

As I sat in my chair at home to watch the intriguing game, I had only one TV on, and my phone wasn’t even near me. I had no distractions. It was late, and my family was asleep.

No other games were on, so the Panthers were my sole focus. My eyes and my attention were dialed in to the Panthers. With only one game on, I listened closely to the commentators and took in everything they were saying.

Overall, I was in the zone and fully invested as I locked in to watch my favorite team put together a stellar performance.

The Panthers pulled off a 32-26 win as the defense slowed the Lions' high-powered offense, and quarterback Bryce Young put on a show for the home team. He was 29 of 41 passing for 329 yards and two touchdowns. He also had no turnovers.

Young was dialed in on his top wide receiver, Tetairoa McMillan, who caught 14 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. With injuries to other top wide receivers, Young knew he could trust McMillan, so the passing game went through him all night. No other Panthers receiver could do what McMillan did, so Young knew it was best to lock in on him.

Both players were clearly in the zone and totally focused throughout the game. They confirmed this in a postgame interview with NBC when asked whether they heard the crowd’s MVP chants for Young.

McMillan said, “I was too locked in; I couldn’t hear them.”

And Young responded, “Just trying to stay focused.”

It was an awesome win for the Panthers, and I’m glad I was locked into the game and thrilled that the team stayed so focused on beating the Lions.

As we think about this concept of no distractions, no other TVs, no other wide receivers, and being totally dialed in, would we describe our faith that way?

When we sit down to spend time with Jesus, do we turn everything else off and stay dialed in with Him? Throughout our day, do our thoughts stay rooted in Him? Just like Young kept turning to T-Mac because he trusted him, is the same true for us with Jesus?

Isaiah 26:3 (ESV) declares to the Lord, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

Life has so many things vying for our attention, and it’s easy to get distracted. Jesus can be important to us, but sometimes He’s not our sole focus. Too often our eyes bounce from “game to game,” and we aren’t fully invested in knowing, serving, seeking, and obeying God.

But what if we choose to “lock in” and stay focused on Him and what matters to Him?

Colossians 3:1-2 (AMP) states, “Therefore if you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, sharing in His resurrection from the dead], keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value].”

Just like Bryce Young fixed his eyes on McMillan because he knew what he was capable of and no one else could compare, what if we fixed our eyes on Jesus as described in Hebrews?

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2; NIV).

What if we stay in the zone, block out the “chants from the crowd,” mute and unmute what’s most important, and stay focused on listening to the voice of the Lord?

In John 10:27 (AMP), Jesus tells us, “The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me.”

Just as I had only one game I was committed to and gave my full attention to, and Young had one receiver he was in sync with, we must remember, as followers of Jesus, not to let anything take our eyes off Him.

When we have Him and our hearts are locked in with Him, we won’t be concerned with the other “games or receivers” or idols such as success, selfishness, money, control, power, or pleasure.

1 Corinthians 10:14 (AMP) warns, “Therefore, my beloved, run [keep far, far away] from [any sort of] idolatry [and that includes loving anything more than God, or participating in anything that leads to sin and enslaves the soul].”

Today, as I reflect on how freeing it was to enjoy the Panthers to the fullest without distractions, I hope we're all encouraged to experience the joy of keeping our eyes solely focused on the One who loves us, saves us, and guides us. Let’s remain fully invested and locked in on following Jesus!

I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I desire to fix my eyes on You, keep my mind stayed on You, and remain focused on Your plans and purposes for me. Forgive me for the times I get distracted, and please remove any idols that I’m giving attention to. You are worthy of my whole heart and my full commitment. I trust You and need Your help. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.