It was a tough year in Cleveland as far as our record was concerned. Finishing 1-15 is the worst record that I’ve ever been a part of, but the interesting thing is how much I learned about my relationship with God this year.

This was the first time I was truly tested in my faith to find my joy in Christ alone. It’s one thing to say that, even to think that, and it’s another thing to experience that. The only way to really understand what this truly means is by going through a trial—to have your joy tested by fire. But this season, I found that my joy wasn’t tied to my job, the team, or our success on the field. Yes, I was upset or distressed at times, even unhappy in moments, but my joy was always there. My circumstances couldn’t affect any of my relationships—father, husband, teammate, or friend—in a negative way. In fact, I saw many positive results because many people wanted to know why I was still joyous in the most discouraging circumstances. I was still joyful going into work everyday and this became contagious for my teammates. In fact, when we were 0-14 and out there practicing, we were still filled with joy because our leaders were not wavering. And I know the only reason I was unwavering was because of my relationship with God. I knew that even though we had a record of 0-14, I was in no way farther away from God. Because of what He’s done for me, He is with me every moment of every day. I know where I will spend my eternity and my joy is found in that alone.

It’s easy to look to the things of this world for satisfaction, but those things are idols. As I watched the NCAA Championship game the other day, I observed the emotion of the Clemson players as they took the win. Yes, they will have that memory for a lifetime and yes, that is an incredibly special moment but after the win, it’s over. These moments are fleeting. All that these men have worked for is gone, only to begin all over again next season. The win is great—I love to win—but it’s not the end-all, be-all. This year was the first time I was really put to the test—this was the first time that this truth really came into perspective for me.

We had one win this year. I’ve never been in a situation before when one win was celebrated so much. It was really magical in a sense because since we had experienced so much bad throughout the season, that one little moment of good meant a lot. The fans were crying and our team celebrated so much because of all the hard work that we have been putting in. I believe that our team deserved to win way more than we did this year but that’s just not what happened. That said, I never thought that one win would mean so much; it was a unique feeling.

To have our one win on Christmas Day seemed to be just perfect. As I thought about it, the only thing that matters in this life comes on Christmas and that is Jesus Christ. To have our only win as a team come on Christmas was a great gift. For me it was confirmation that God was telling me not to worry. He was telling me that He has a plan, and although I don’t know what that plan is, I trust Him.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” —James 1:2-3

—Demario Davis

Demario Davis is a regular contributor to The Increase and will be providing monthly articles and opinions.

Check out Demario’s Increase profile here: http://theincrease.com/author/demario-davis/  

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