There’s a phenomenon in sports that is defined in just one word. It’s the moment when an athlete takes the field for the first time after last season’s injury. When a coach steps onto the court again, now with a new team after being let go by the last one. It’s when an athlete has a chance to win the game in its final moments after collapsing under pressure in the previous outing. This is why we love sports, right? These defining moments ignite something deep in our souls, as we are mesmerized by second chances and those "against-all-odds" moments that overcome the impossible. In one word – redemption.

Redemption unleashes deliverance. The athlete or coach is delivered from something to something else: Hurt to healed; fired to flourishing; heartbroken to hero. The goodness of these redemption moments spark excitement, for we, too, wish to find ourselves in a similar story – and we can. 

Like all great stories, pre-redemption is bleak. You find yourself navigating a world that is broken and disappoints you. People disappoint you. You disappoint yourself. Empty promise after empty promise, you’re scarred by the realization that the world can’t fulfill its satisfaction guarantee that it continually makes. Doubt, discouragement and discontentment shout louder and louder; despite how well you compete and “succeed," these voices never go away. What about life’s purpose? It’s elusive and difficult to define. And how can you forget about those insurmountable addictions, habits and behaviors that never get under control? 

You need deliverance from something to something else. 

Step into the redemption story you’ve desperately needed: “For [God] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins,” (Colossians 1:13-14 NIV).

From darkness to light. From hopeless to hopeful. From purposeless to purposeful. From sinner to forgiven. From death to life.

Neither your hard work, extra effort nor attempts to do the right thing earned your redemption (Eph. 2:8-9). This deliverance – your salvation – is a gift from God, solely based on His grace. “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins,” (Rom. 3:24 NLT). 

As God’s one and only Son, Jesus came to earth as the necessary sacrifice for your sin. After living a perfect life, He was killed by crucifixion on a cross and placed in a tomb. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and left the grave – the ultimate comeback – displaying that sin, guilt and shame were forever conquered. Everything He did was with you in mind. His comeback defines your comeback. 

Redemption can happen in a moment but last for eternity. After you receive it, you’ll notice continual redemption in every area of your life, as you are transformed to look more like the One who saved you. Deliverance happens again: From seeking others’ approval to resting in His acceptance; from trying to earn His love to knowing that He is enough; from purposelessly letting the scoreboard define your worth to purposefully pursuing opportunities to tell others about your Redeemer. 

Neglecting this salvation leaves you stuck to the same old way of life forever unsatisfied by the world.

Embracing this salvation leads to redemption and a new way of life forever fulfilled in a newfound relationship with Jesus. 

The choice is yours to step into the redemption story. Your moment is now. 

-Scott Staal