I did chuckle when I found this discarded hat outside William Hill the other day. There was also something sad about it though (beyond the obvious tragedy of the hat and the fact that someone would actually place a bet on England winning football matches!) It spoke to me, not of a beer bellied nation who love to watch the game, but of being let down when you are so sure about something.
This person had exhibited their loyalty to the cause by wearing a hat, even though it made them look ridiculous. They had placed so much faith in this cause that they were willing to bet money on it. They must have been pretty certain that their belief was real.
I was sad about this, because the discarded hat reminded me about what people do to the church and to God. When circumstances in life ‘let us down’, we have two choices. With England, we could either fling our hats down in disgust and say that they are an overpaid bunch of drama queens and turn our backs on them, or we can go to the airport to welcome them home and say “Thank you for going to represent our country and for having the guts to play those games”. Whilst I know that the latter should be true, I am afraid my attitude was the former.
However, how easy is it, when someone offends us, or when something bad happens in life to just fling down our hats at the door of the house in which we have placed our faith and certainty and try to walk our path alone?
When this guy flung down his hat, not only did he disown the ‘title’ (England), but he walked away from the team and all its supporters. Suddenly, he was on his own. Will he do better on his own with no one around him? I doubt it. Now this man cannot play football at the level England can, so I appreciate that he has to put his trust in them to do it for him. However, by walking on his own, he is saying that he is now the only player to oppose everyone else and all the supporters. If he comes up against opposition, he stands alone.
It is the same with the church. God is the only one who has the power to alter your circumstances. Sometimes, he doesn’t do it. However it is not just God. God uses His people to support you and to stand beside you when things are tough. We might not understand why He has allowed someone to die, or why He has not allowed us to get a job we really wanted, or why someone we love is in pain.
You could argue and say that there is a community of non-believers, who will stand beside you and walk with you, just as there is a crowd of England haters at the moment. But people are so vain. The crowd of England haters will stand firm until the next world cup, where they are yet again promised the “best team ever”. Where once again, they are encouraged to “be proud of your country”. The difference being, of course, the absence of God, who is constant. You might walk in a community of non-believers, but you are left with nothing to put your trust in.
The whole point of trust is to say “Whatever happens, good or bad, I know that I am safe and that everything is alright, so long as I am with you”. When bad stuff happens, you walk together (like true sports fans). When good stuff happens, you rejoice together. When you don’t understand, you sit together and know that it is alright to be silent. You, unlike people, will not walk in and out of my life. You will not give up on me. You will not become weak. I trust in God.
