A Winning Team
Stetson Bennet is the quarterback who led the Georgia Bulldogs to their first national championship since 1980. Having graduated from Georgia Tech (arch-rivals of Georgia), I’m not much of a Bulldog fan, but I pulled hard for them this year for a lot of different reasons, not least of which was the fact that I’m tired of Alabama winning. But Stetson Bennet is another big reason I was “all in” when it came to rooting the Bulldogs on to victory.
Bennet was a walk-on. He wasn’t recruited by Georgia, but he made the team against all odds - it’s not easy for walk-ons to make major college teams, much less become first-string quarterbacks. But that’s another thing that makes Stetson’s accomplishment so inspiring. He didn’t become the first-string quarterback until starter J.T. Daniels was injured in September.
It’s an understatement to say that Bennet came into a pressure-cooker situation. From the beginning of this season of college football, Georgia looked to me, and many others, like one of the best college football teams in years. They had it all - offense, defense, depth, and marquee players. Since I have family on both my side and my wife’s who are dyed-in-the-wool Bulldog fans, there was a real sense of destiny among our Bulldog relatives that was undeniable.
But again, for me, Stetson Bennet was what made the Dawgs year so inspiring. When Kelee Ringo returned the game-winning interception for a touchdown, Bennet burst out in tears on the sideline. Years of hard work, determination, and a willingness to do whatever it took, suddenly exploded in a sense of joy and relief.
There are times in life when I’m reminded of the words of Jesus, who said that in order to be his disciples, we must put our hands to the plow and not look back, that we must lose our lives to find them. Bennet is a living example of that call and a reminder to all of us that as wonderful as Georgia’s national championship is, it’s nothing compared to serving God’s Kingdom with Jesus as our quarterback.
It’s not easy doing what it takes to be the men and women Jesus Christ is calling us to be. Sometimes the pressure of genuine discipleship is almost too much to bear. But it’s worth it, and in the end, God will wipe away every tear of pain and hardship as he makes room for us to cry tears of joy as we celebrate having been called to serve on His team.
In Christ,
Dan
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