“For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.”
– Psalm 149:4 (ESV)

Another college football season is coming to a close. Teams have made their way through the regular season schedule. Over the next few weeks television will be saturated with playoff games, bowl games, and All-Star games. Some teams achieved great success and were crowned champions of their conference. Players have been named to All-American teams, All-Conference teams and All-Freshmen teams. Many of these players will showcase their skills in games just for them, such as the Senior Bowl and the East-West game. Coaches have been named Coach of the Year and nominated for various Halls of Fame. As coaches and athletes, we’re always chasing crowns. Trophies and rings are things that motivate us. If we’re not careful, we can lose our perspective on the things that matter most. Long-time NFL coach Bobby Jackson once said, “I climbed the ladder of success almost all the way to the top, but I found that my ladder was leaning against the wrong wall.”

It’s all too easy for us to put our ladders against the wrong wall. The victories and awards can give us a false sense of security and pride. We must constantly be on guard. We must frequently ask ourselves why we do what we do. We should challenge ourselves regularly with this question: “Who’s getting the glory?” Psalm 149 reminds us to be humble and thankful and to give thanks to God for any success we might have. We need to understand the crowns of the world quickly fade away and lose their value. Few people can remember last year’s champion or the last Heisman Trophy winner. On the other hand, God loves us so much, that He offers us a crown that will last forever. This crown comes through the life, death and resurrection of HIs Son Jesus.  Let’s give some thought to where we’re going to place our ladders. Are we going to climb a wall with limited value or are we going to climb a wall which has eternal value?

Heavenly Father, I ask for the wisdom to place my ladders on the right walls. Help me today to see and to strive for the things that have eternal value and not those things that will quickly fade away.  It’s in the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.