As many of you know, I had some minor surgery last Monday that's left me in recovery for the week. Most of the week has been spent on the couch watching endless amounts of television and just as many hours surfing the net. Without a doubt, I have gotten my fill of pop culture news and caught up on all kinds of television shows. I've seen hours and hours of talk shows, reality shows, scripted tv, news, etc. and have seen a lot of talk about the Superbowl that is happening now in a matter of hours. The seminarian and the pop culture whiz in me collided quickly when I first heard the story of an email that supermodel Gisele Bundchen, wife of New England Patriot's quarterback Tom Brady sent out to her family and friends. The text of the alleged email is as follows:
My sweet friends and family,
This Sunday will be a really important day in my husband's life. He and his team worked so hard to get to this point and now they need us more than ever to send them positive energy so they can fulfill their dream of winning this Super Bowl...
So I kindly ask all of you to join me on this positive chain and pray for him, so he can feel confident, healthy and strong. Envision him happy and fulfilled experiencing with his team a victory this Sunday.
Thank you for your love and support. Love, G :)
While my initial response was to joke that God stopped caring about the Super Bowl when Tim Tebow and the Broncos were put out by the Patriots (which if anything, would hurt the Patriots), I continued to think about it. As Aisha Tyler said on a CBS talk show mocking Bundchen, "Dear God, I know there's war and starving babies and stuff, but if you could just work on my husband's Super Bowl victory.....that'd be greaaaaat!" Gisele's requests seemed very shallow to me. Just like all of us, we want to be successful, we want to win, and we want God on our side--but where do we draw the line?
I personally don't think that God has anything at stake in the Super Bowl game--no, not even if Tim Tebow was playing. I find it absolutely hilarious when I watch reality shows and people pray for God to help them win the million. When they use God and religion not only as a reason for making every single move that they do in their game, but also expecting God to shun those who do not conform to their specific form of gameplay. It's hard for me to believe that God would intervene in the Super Bowl to help one team beat the other (as I'm sure fans of both teams have been praying for a victory). It's hard for me to believe that God cares who wins the million in a game where they volunteer to be stranded on a deserted island with limited resources and told to "survive" when we have many people around the world for which every day is a struggle to survive--not some game in which they can win money for making it 39 days.
However, in a weird sort of way I did find something encouraging and positive about Gisele's wish for success on her husband's big day. I think so often we get so caught up in our own lives and our own achievements that we fail to recognize those of our loved ones. We don't too often lift each other up when things are going good or have the potential to go good, but we are so quick to tear each other down when something goes wrong. Especially with the trend in marriages lately, could more marriages be saved if people stopped looking out for their own selfish needs and started to speak words of encouragement and endearment to their partners and spouses? I'm not saying it would solve all the world's problems, but it could start. I know this post seems a little out-of-place but it's just what I am thinking about right now which is why I write and why you have come to read.
Giants or Patriots? I don't really care, but Gisele this post is dedicated to your beautiful self.
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