With forty seconds left in the first-half of their divisional round playoff game, the Bengals started with the ball on their own nine-yard line. Leading 17-7, the announcers thought the Bengals might take a knee and run the clock out. Instead the Bengals threw a screen pass for eleven yards, followed by another for five yards. Cincinnati was able to move the ball to the Buffalo 47 yard-line, which allowed them the opportunity to throw a deep pass to the end zone, which fell in-complete as the clock read 00:00.
During a post-game interview, a reporter asked the Bengals Head Coach about the possession; wanting to know if he intended to be aggressive in that moment. Coach Taylor answered by saying, “We had to sort through the moment.” He went on to explain that time and score, down and distance, and the timeout situation informed how they approached the moment.
A meaningful reflection of Jesus happens as we sort through the moment instead of predetermining what we will do.
Coach Taylor didn’t send the offense on the field with blind aggression. He understood they were backed up against their own end zone and Buffalo had all three timeouts. He understood that they would need a first down or two to make sure Buffalo didn’t get the ball back. After they picked up two first downs, it was Cincinnati, not Buffalo calling timeouts because the situation had changed.
Truth: A plan is needed and helps on the journey, but we must be able to sort through the moments along the journey.
Moments can look similar, but each one is unique and specific. We never experience two moments that are exactly alike. Therefore, we can’t expect to do the exact same thing in each (similar) moment. We need to sort through each moment.
Sorting Through the Moment Takes into Account:
- What is happening around us
- What God is telling us
- What is needed in the situation
- What we have available to us
- How we can add value
A general plan or rule of thumb can help us as we live each day, but we must leave room to sort through the moment. God may ask us to respond differently on the tenth time than He has in the previous nine moments. Sorting through the moment helps us not miss what He seeks to do in us and through us in the moment in front of us.