Episode 85 - Fan Loyalty

This weekend England played Papua New Guinea in the quarter final of the rugby league world cup. Now you might think it would have been difficult for me to decide which side to support. However, you probably would only think this if you didn’t already know a couple of things about me. The first thing is that I actually support Wales in Rugby Union international matches (I’m sorry!). The second is that before living in Papua New Guinea (where they live and breathe rugby league), I never really paid much attention to the sport. That soon changed once I arrived in Papua New Guinea and my friends quickly taught me everything I now know about rugby league. Needless to say from that time on I was a vehement PNG Kumuls fan, just as my friends are! So come the day of the game, there was never really any doubt as to who I would be supporting and the truth is that I couldn’t have changed my team even if I wanted to.

They may have lost to England but they did themselves proud

That’s the funny thing about supporting a sports team isn’t it? Once you pick your team, that’s it. They’re your team. There’s no going back. It doesn’t matter which team you chose, or why you chose them, or even how flawed your seven year old brain was when it chose to support Newcastle United Football Club. Nor does it matter how much heart ache your team has caused you over the years, you heart will always support them. Such allegiance, such unquestioning, unshakable loyalty is really quite incredible. I started to think if there were other things I had such allegiance to, because as much as I love sports, surely there are things more deserving. 

I started thinking about my relationships and there are definitely some people whom I will always support and forgive no matter what, or at least I certainly hope so. But relationships are a bit more complicated than following a sports team. People can hurt us in a variety of different ways whereas pretty much the worst thing a sports team can do is to continually play poorly (if you support a particularly imaginative football team, you may also be able to add mid-game inter-team brawls and the signing of a player based on viewing a YouTube clip). So to commit yourself to support someone no matter what they do, really is a huge ask, and not something that one can say lightly or freely.

Sometimes your team will let you down...

And then there was God. Who can not only say that He has such unconditional loyalty and love for a special few, but for everyone. And that, not only based on the possibility of what He might imagine we all could do, but knowing all of the worst things that we have and will ever do (as well as all that we’re capable of too). And He chose to do so knowing that the cost of such unconditional loyalty and love was not only disappointment or personal grief, but also the death of His perfect son Jesus so that we might know this love for ourselves. And it was in that moment I re-learnt once again the depth and strength of God’s love for us. And I remembered that it was my calling to learn to love like He does. Not just to reserve my love for those whom I think may become deserving, but for all including those who are undeserving, knowing that I have done nothing to deserve the unconditional love of my God. Fortunately my calling is to learn how to love like Him, so I’m not expected to have got there just yet. I can only try to get a little closer each day.