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Don't Play in a Dome

To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a Super Bowl-winning football team that played their home games in a dome on artificial turf. There have been champions that played in domes, and some that played on turf, but never both. All the other champions have played under the elements on real grass. 

Maybe that is a coincidence, or maybe it points to a true concept, that the teams that spend the season sheltering themselves from discomfort are hindering their growth as a team. Who wouldn't prefer to play under a dome? Too hot? Too cold? Snowing? Raining? No problem; we'll just close the dome. The kick returner never loses the ball in the sun. The quarterback never has a wet ball slip out of his hand. It seems great (and the fans have to appreciate it as well). 

But the teams that play through it all may not enjoy it, but they are conditioning themselves to play through adversity. When you make it to the big game, and it starts to rain, and there is no dome to close, one type of team has seen it all before while the other was seeking shelter.

We might think life would be grand if we could only escape the elements. The snow and rain of life, the high and low temperatures we do not like--it would be great if we could just close the dome. But that isn't how it works. And I'm sorry if someone told you giving your life to Christ would make your problems go away. Jesus didn't tell us that. In fact, He told us the opposite.

In John 16:33 Jesus said, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

He promised we would face tribulation as long as we live in this sin-cursed world, but He also told us to take heart ("Cheer up!") because He has overcome, or conquered, the world. Because He died and rose again we can have eternal salvation and deliverance from this world. 

So in the meantime, practice on grass with the dome closed. It builds our endurance and our character, equipping us to be the kind of people God wants us to be. If you are feeling overcome, remember you can be an overcomer because Jesus overcame the world. 

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