College Football on Saturday in the Fall reveals more than winners and losers. Behind the noise of a winning celebration or a frustrating loss there are truths that shape our lives. Pearls of wisdom can be found IF you can ignore the noise of the day.
In a game most football fans didn’t see, unranked Missouri defeated 12th ranked Kansas State on a last second 61 yard field goal for an improbable win. In the adrenaline rush of the moment in an on-the-field interview after the game, the Missouri Head Coach was asked his message to the team before the game. The coach said, “I told our guys to ignore the noise and stay focused.” In another interview, the player who made the winning kick to set an SEC record repeated the coach’s words with emphasis, “Coach said, ‘ignore the noise’ and that’s what we did”.
If you’ve been to an SEC football game between rivals where there is bad blood, you know the noise level is deafening. In fact, bad blood makes the noise more difficult to ignore. In a late night game between Colorado and Colorado State, the Colorado State coach reiterated the fact that between those rivals “there’s bad blood, that’s just the way it is.” Everyone breathing on this planet knows we live in a pool of bad blood these days. That’s just the way it is.
Before time began on Earth, Lucifer was cast out and down like Georgia Tech on a Saturday in November. OK, I digress because bad blood creates noise. Bad blood and the resulting noise was introduced between mankind and Satan in the Garden of Eden. Noise distracts and causes you to lose focus. Recognizing and ignoring noise is imperative. So it begs the question, what is the noise in your life that distracts you? What noise do you need to ignore?
Although we are not all college athletes, we know this pearl of wisdom coaches teach their players is essential. Long after the contests end the games continue. Ignoring the everyday noise is critical to winning in life. So what is noise? Noise can be whatever distracts you and causes you to tune out some one or some thing.
These days race and political opinions can be a noise. Much of what circulates on social media is noise generated by algorithms and AI. Noises are lies that cause dissension and disunity and CAN be ignored. Learning to discern the truth from a lie is the first step to ignore the noise in YOUR life.
A problem in our culture is there are soooo many lies being told. This noise is designed to separate people, cause our love to grow cold for each other and more pointedly, separate us from God and the Truth. We have been conditioned to ignore the truth along with the lies. If we ignore the truth we will lose our very lives. There IS absolute truth in this world but it isn’t found in your truth and my truth. The Word of God is truth. Jesus is truth. Anything contrary to Him IS noise, a lie and endangers your very soul.
Jesus reminded us of the need to discern truth from lies because lies come from the enemy and will kill and destroy. “‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.'” Matthew 10:28.
If you believe and help spread lies you have bought into the noise of the father of lies, the devil. “‘…He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.'” John 8:44. When you can’t discern the truth from a lie, it can take time for the truth to be to revealed. Many lies sound good but are really noise designed to divide. Popular lies like systemic racism, political accusations, Ukraine is about democracy and they are winning the war.
We know noise not only keeps us from living well with others and enjoying a victorious life on Earth, it kills and destroys our very soul. The best antidote to this noise is silence. How much time have you spent in silence the past week opposed to surfing the web or alternative news services? Silence isn’t empty, it’s full of answers. Silence speaks volumes without you ever saying a word. Silence increases the quality of your life while noise will reduce that quality.
I encourage you to spend time in silence BEFORE you spend time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the other distributors of noise on social media. But, I warn you the less time you have spent in silence the more deafening it will be. “WHY?” you might ask. Because truth is found in silence. God can be heard in silence…and remember…there is bad blood between noise and silence.
Just like the college football players from this past weekend can testify, you have to practice and be disciplined to ignore the noise. You play the way you practice and odds favor you’re out of the practice of silence and prone to the comfort and distraction of noise. LEARN to ignore the noise. Practice silence this week and set yourself up for a win.
I’ll close with a request…
What noise distracts you the most today? What noise is causing you to withdraw from friends, family and fellowship with others? I’d genuinely like you to respond. Your responses might encourage and reveal lies to me and others that we don’t see.
IGNORE THE NOISE to win the race…and save your soul.