The Foolish Flip

Last season, New York Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo burst onto the scene as a fan favorite because of his hard-nosed style of play and contagious personality. His attitude, energy, and physical running led to fans cheering loudly for him on his way to seven total touchdowns in the eight games he played (five as a starter).

However, the excitement died down after he suffered an open tibia fracture and dislocation of his right ankle in October. But he spent the offseason rehabbing, and all indications are he’ll be ready to go Week 1, and fans can’t wait to see him back on the field. That’s, of course, contingent on him not doing anything to injure himself in the meantime.

Skattebo has a clear passion for football, aggressiveness, a willingness to embrace contact, and the ability to entertain the crowd. Not only did he get fans out of their seats with impressive rushing touchdowns, but he followed it up with a celebration that included a backflip. His athleticism in the air is impressive!

When we consider the injury he experienced last fall and the high expectations surrounding him heading into this season with new Giants head coach John Harbaugh, it's no wonder there was major concern and backlash after Skattebo's recent backflip.

He’s crazy and fun and wants to keep the fans happy, so when he showed up at the Fanatics Fest a few weeks ago, he attempted his patented backflip on stage in front of the crowd. Unfortunately, it turned into a bad situation when he landed awkwardly. Although he didn't injure himself, the potential harm prompted the Giants to speak with him. 

They understand they have to rein in their young star and help him avoid being careless and reckless, and were willing to have conversations with him about making wise decisions.

Harbaugh told reporters, "The big-picture message is you want to take care of yourself, take care of your team. Do everything you can do to be healthy, be back, be right, be good. What does that mean? It's not going to be the same situation the next time for anybody. It's going to be different. So it's really the principle of it." 

Giants GM Joe Schoen added, "Yeah, we have [had conversations], but again, he's a young man that's still getting used to the spotlight and in New York City, and you got to be conscious of your actions, not only from a health standpoint, but a perception standpoint…But he knows I'd rather him not do that, especially this close to camp.”

We’ll see if Skattebo will still end up doing flips after scoring touchdowns once the season gets going, but the overall message from his coach and GM about being wise seems to have been received.

He had this to say: "Obviously I do some dumb things here or there, but I learn from it. My coach talked to me, told me how he felt. I learned from it. Will I do a backflip again? Probably not. You live, and you learn, and we move on…”

Adding “When game time comes around, we'll see when game time comes around. Right now, we're focused on training camp. We'll keep the backflips off the field for now."

I’m cheering for Skattebo, and I hope he stays healthy, learns from the “dumb things” he’s done, and is willing to exercise restraint in the future.

I can say the same thing for you and me. Whether we like to admit it or not, we can relate to doing “dumb things” in our lives. Many of those poor decisions happened when we were young, but no matter what age we are today, we are always being tempted to do something dumb, foolish, careless, or reckless. 

As followers of Jesus, we want to avoid the “dumb things” or, as the Bible says, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17; ESV).

We are in pursuit of living a wise life that is rooted in God’s will and His Word. We are in the ongoing process of becoming more like Jesus, who is completely wise, and learning to live by the Spirit so we can become less foolish, which we are when we live according to our flesh. 

Thankfully, Proverbs 2:6-7 (AMP) tells us, “For the Lord gives [skillful and godly] wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores away sound wisdom for the righteous [those who are in right standing with Him]; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity [those of honorable character and moral courage]...”

Proverbs 28:26 (NLT) explains, “Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.”

As followers of Jesus, when we confess our sins and acknowledge the “dumb things” we’ve done, we know we are forgiven and receive grace and mercy. We don’t remain in shame or regret, but rather repent and turn away from foolishness, turning to Jesus.

Part of that process includes a willingness to learn from those “dumb things” and a Holy Spirit-empowered restraint not to repeat them and say no when tempted. We don’t want to be stubborn and unwilling to change our careless behavior, and we also don’t want to downplay foolishness as no big deal. Rather, we take it seriously, seek wisdom from the Lord, and stop any pattern of stupidity.

Proverbs 12:1 (NIV) states, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.”

We are challenged by Proverbs 14:16 (ESV): “One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.”

Proverbs 26:11 (AMP) puts it this way: “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his foolishness.”

Just like in the case of Skattebo, there will be times when we need to have conversations with others who advise us and encourage us not to repeat the reckless behavior and implore us to make wise choices. We have to humbly and willingly listen to others who care enough about us to point out our foolishness.

Proverbs 12:15 (ESV) simply says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

John Harbaugh’s advice to Skattebo is also good for us to hear: “The big-picture message is you want to take care of yourself, take care of your team. Do everything you can do to be healthy, be back, be right, be good.”

Today, just like Skattebo, we can declare, "Obviously I do some dumb things here or there, but I learn from it.” 

Also, “You live, and you learn, and we move on." 

Let’s praise God that we can move on in grace and mercy thanks to Jesus’ death and resurrection on our behalf. Let's learn from our past sins and mistakes instead of repeating them. Let's be willing to change and choose wisdom over foolishness as we follow Jesus and no longer remain stuck in any pattern of sin or shame.

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

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I acknowledge how foolish I am without Your wisdom. Thank you for providing me wisdom, helping me learn from mistakes, and giving me the ability to avoid foolishness. I am so grateful for Your grace, mercy, and forgiveness for all the dumb things I’ve done that were in disobedience to You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.