I Believe

The excitement in Seattle is explosive right now. Cars on the streets are letting their 12th man flags flap in the wind. Everyone is dressing as if our state has a blue and green dress code. Strangers in grocery stores are high fiving. "Go Hawks" is our anthem. It's as if everyone decided to come together as one united front. Whoever coined the term "the Seattle Freeze," referring to people of Seattle being generally "unfriendly," should come to Seattle now and see how friendly we actually are, at least to each other.

I'll admit, I just became a Seahawks fan last season, so I don't hold a lot of longevity with my allegiance, but I got sucked in last season--for good. I went from not even understanding the game to being a little obsessed: reading every article I can find about the players and the game I just watched, listening to podcasts and even talk radio::gasp::. The day Owen was out of town and Jace was napping and I chose on my own to watch the game, I knew things would never be the same.

But, what happens when the season is over? When the Super Bowl is over and the Seahawks have the rest of the year off, what happens then? Is this the best we've got? Is there no more excitement left for this community, nothing to look forward to or celebrate? Is this the peak of our year and it's all downhill after this?

I was listening to an interview where Pastor Mark Driscoll talks to a few Seahawks' players. It's titled "Jesus is better than the Superbowl." In the interview, Chris Maragos says:

"To understand where we've reached, which is in the world's view quote-unquote 'the pinnacle,' you really see how empty that is. Having Jesus in my life, you really see how important that is because you see that He is everything."

This is coming from an actual player who is one game away from a championship ring. If he thinks there is emptiness after that, surely the thousands of fans won't have much from this to fill them up when it's all over.

So, while I've totally boarded this Seahawks train and am inhaling the sweet air of Seattle's excitement, I fear that we are making this the end game. Because in a couple weeks the Super Bowl will be over and we can go back to being a community that puts are faces back in our phones and minds our own business and wouldn't dare high five a stranger. Or, this could be a turning point for us. A spark that ignites a fire in a city filled with people who suddenly care about each other, who are cheering each other on, who are living as a united front and living it out loud.

We have a lot of potential here. The "12th man" has been credited for actually creating earthquakes because of our unified voice. What if this could all be used as a catalyst for something bigger and greater for the people of Seattle?

I believe.

Go Hawks!