ALL IN!

Okay, first of all, I know.  I know that the Clemson Tigers did not win the National Championship. I know because I sat next to my Clemson alum husband and watched every second of that game with him.  We cheered.  We screamed.  We held our breath.  And we counted down the seconds (especially the ones that should not have been ticking down because they were still moving the chains, but whatever).  So yes, I know that we lost, in the end, to Alabama.  For those of you who have NO idea what I'm talking about, I'm referring to the college football national championship game that was on Monday night.  If you aren't into football, don't worry, this is not a post about the game or the sport. It's a post about attitude. 

You see, ever since Monday night, my 2 year old daughter has insisted on wearing something with the Clemson Tiger logo on it each day.  Now, typically you wear your shirt the day after the game when you have won, but we lost.  She doesn't get it, and she doesn't care.  What she knows is that we are for the Clemson Tigers.  We were for them all fall. We were for them on Sunday.  We were for them when she went to bed on Monday night (and they were winning). Therefore, we are still for the Clemson Tigers.  And she is right.  We are still for them.  The rally cry of the Tigers is ALL IN.  Twitter even added the tiger paw image to the hashtag.  It comes from the coach telling his team when he first got the head coach position that he was ALL IN and expected them to be as well.  My daughter, at two years old, is the epitome of ALL IN.  When the news was showing the game recap, she wasn't looking sad like the rest of us, she was cheering, "Go Tigers!" because she is ALL IN.  She proudly wore her cheerleader dress over a long sleeve shirt and leggings all day yesterday because she is ALL IN.   The loss of one game, the close of the football season, and the end of a winning streak have changed nothing for her. She's ALL IN.  

And that's when it hit me. Her passion for the Tigers is exactly the passion I want to have for Christ in every season of my life. I want to be ALL IN for Jesus in every aspect of my life, every day of my life, through every situation in my life.  I want to have the same ALL IN attitude for the Gospel and my Savior, that my daughter is displaying. I don't want to be deterred by minor defeats; I don't want to be held back by trials, or stumble over obstacles.  Regardless of what I face, who I encounter, or how I may be feeling, I want to be ALL IN for Christ, because He is ALL IN for me.  I want the words I speak, the actions I take, the choices I make, the relationships I build, and every other aspect of my life to reflect my devotion to Christ and my love for Him.  I want to "put on" my Jesus t-shirt every day, no matter what happened the day before.  It is easy to wear the gear and cheer for your team when you feel like you are winning, when all is going well in life, but I want to be the full on fan when things look bleak, when times are hard, when loss has occurred.  

At the beginning of this new year, I want to encourage you to be ALL IN as well. If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you know what He has saved you from. You know what He has sacrificed for you, and you know how very much you don't deserve His love. Like me, you are grateful beyond words for His grace, and very much aware of the gift you have received.  So, let's do this together. Let's be ALL IN for the Savior. Let's follow in the example of my two year old  and wear our faith for all to see every single day.  I'm ALL IN.  Are you?

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."  Colossians 2:6-7