Lessons from the World Cup

I don’t know about any of you, but I am having a wonderful time watching the World Cup this year. There are so many stories. The news and social media are showing different cultures coming together, dancing, laughing, and swapping team jerseys. Japanese fans are cleaning up stadiums after games. Many visitors are experiencing American food for the first time and are going crazy over ranch dressing. You will never know what will intrigue people. And one of the heartfelt happenings was Iran leaving a letter to thank Los Angeles for its hospitality. Their new fans came all the way from their home base in Tijuana, Mexico to support them in California. One of the Iranian football players gave a heartwarming smile as he expressed how much the Mexicans have made them feel at home.  This is right out of God’s playbook.

Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2

This goes far beyond football. God is looking at our attitudes, hearts and most importantly our obedience to Him. I think we could learn a lot from some football players. After tackling the Canadian midfielder, Ismael Kone, and breaking his leg, the Qatari midfielder went to his opponent after the match and apologized. It was sad to see that the Canadian players wouldn’t even celebrate their win after their teammate’s accident.  One of the substitutes who scored a goal held up Kone’s jersey in tribute to him. However, after surgery, Kone returned to camp to cheers and tears, in the midst of applause and shouts of “Ismael”. As his teammates gave him warm hugs, I could see they were more than a team. They were one body.

And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it. 1 Corinthians 12:26

It has been amazing to see this Bible verse being lived out through these football players. Another inspiring story is the goalkeeper from Cabo Verde, the third smallest nation ever to have played in the World Cup. He is now famous after he stopped all goals from Spain, which is one of the teams that is a favorite to win the World Cup. The Cabo Verdean goalkeeper nicknamed Vozinha, which is Portuguese for “little grandmother” has now made a moniker that was used to tease him when he was younger a household name. His feat has made headlines throughout the world and prompted the U.S. State Department to grant his mother a visa to see her son play, as they were unable to procure the visa before the World Cup because of lack of funds.  This demonstrates that life can change in a moment. Well, for Vozinha is was 90 minutes, with extra time after waiting a lifetime to be in the World Cup, in which he became one of the oldest goalkeepers in its history. God surely is speaking about waiting on Him and never giving up because you never know when one event can change your life. In Him, the past doesn’t define the future. He can do a new thing anytime, anywhere.

“Do not call to mind the former things, or consider things of the past. Behold, I am going to do something new, now it will spring up; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:18-19

God can do something that has never been done before. He is the God of the impossible. And He has done what is considered to be impossible through the Curacao football team. This tiny island nation has the smallest population of any country to have played in the World Cup. They have truly created a blue wave in this year’s major international football tournament.  I was amazed that although they were down six goals to Germany they still continued to play with grit and grind. In the next game, the team’s goalkeeper, Eloy Room, gave Ecuador no room to score a goal. He made 15 saves, the most in the World Cup since 1966, giving his team a historic tie with a point on the scoreboard. Many thought it was impossible, but with God it wasn’t.

And looking at them, Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

The team went into the World Cup knowing this. Curacao had a draw with the Jamaica Reggae Boyz at their home stadium in Kingston to win their spot in the World Cup, much to the dismay of many Jamaicans, including myself. However, Curacao has my heart not only because I have so many Curacaoan friends, but because the team plays with character. They have no quit in them. And one of the things I love about this team is their commitment to prayer. Not only do they pray before every game, but they also had a time of worship and testimonies in the Netherlands before leaving for their base in the United States. After the team’s loss to Germany, a couple of German players huddled with Curacaoan players after the match and prayed together. One of the German players, midfielder Felix Nmecha,  said this in a post-match interview:

During the game, we are opponents, but after the game, we are all Christians and we are like brothers. We simply said a little prayer together because we are all still feeling very grateful... we all believe that Jesus is glorified through the game.

He sure is! For the next few weeks, the World Cup will be the greatest show on earth, but it can teach us some profound spiritual lessons. It doesn’t matter whether you love the sport or not, you can learn a lot from this quadrennial event. I am learning that you are not too small, don’t give up, nothing is impossible with God, and Jesus can be exemplified and glorified in football.