Squandering Opportunity

The documentary Untold: Johnny Football (directed by Ryan Duffy, Propagate, 2023) tells the true story of the rise and fall of college football phenom Johnny Manziel. Manziel was a supremely talented football player. He had all the potential in the world. Instead of refining his craft and progressing in his development, however, Manziel squandered his opportunity in the NFL and wasted his God-given potential—prioritizing money, fame, and pleasure over discipline and maturation. Like “Johnny Football,” Christians have all the potential in the world. We are blessed with a wonderful destiny in Christ. This destiny is not a given, however. We must choose to live it. We must commit ourselves to the way of Christ. We must devote ourselves to the task of growth and maturation. We must dedicate ourselves to the path that God has set before us. If we don’t, then, like Manziel, we might end up wasting our potential and squandering our opportunity—falling short of the goal that God has designed for us.