Mark Kriegel, a national columnist for FOXSports.com, recently published an article title: Unbreakable: Brees is model of resilience,perseverance. Throughout the article Kriegel discusses and acknowledges the amazing resolve and perseverance that Drew Brees has demonstrated in the wake of his mother’s tragic death. The tragedy being that Brees’ mother committed suicide at the the beginning of the 2009 football season. A tragedy that the press couldn’t leave untouched during the team’s media day, yesterday.
In the plethora of questions thrown out to Brees, his response concerning his mother’s tragic death seems all too common and riddled with bad theology. In no way do I understand the pain, heart ache, and confusion that currently plagues this legendary quarterback in view of his mother’s death. However, I think we can learn something about God, how He works in a fallen world, and how His Sovereign Will gets played out here on earth by dissecting Brees most recent comments. Below is a short snippet of Brees comments made on media day concerning the death of his mother:
“I knew that my mom would be with me all season long,” he says, quite matter of factly. “That was tough to go through in August when she passed away … and the circumstances around it. But it’s given me peace. It’s given me strength to know that she’s in a better place, and she’s watching down over me and protecting me.”
“Everything is meant to be,” he says. “Everything happens for a reason.”
Now I am not sure exactly what Drew Brees’ religious persuasion is. However, Kriegel in his article does state that Brees is a “devoutly religious fatalist.” Keeping this in mind, let’s take a moment and explore one particular comment that Brees made during his interview. I would like to pull our attention to the last sentence quoted above…”Everything is meant to be, everything happens for a reason.”
First, let’s ask ourselves the question, “Does everything in this world truly happen for a reason?” I personally have a hard time believing that a loving God would pre-ordain that someone would take their own life. However, in one sense Brees is correct…No matter what happens God is in control. He is the King if the Universe and He is good! But, is God a direct cause of everything that happens here on earth? I think not. I think that there are a lot of things that happen on this earth, in my life, and in your life that were not a direct result of God’s personal intervention in our worlds. Therefore, it is safe to say that not everything that happens in this world is good.
Let me take this a step further. God did not cause Satan to rebel, Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit, King David to sleep with another man’s wife. He did not kill Abel or coerce the Jews and Romans to kill Jesus. All of those deeds, evil as they were, were carried out by individuals who were thinking only about themselves. Therefore, they should bear full responsibility for their actions!
The idea that everything happens for a reason is no more than an urban legend. Most urban legends come from a combination of irrational thinking (or wishful thinking) and a warped interpretation of key passages in the Bible. In this case, Romans 8:28 is probably the verse that was most twisted.
Tune back later as I continue my thoughts on Super Bowl Theology and explore in more detail the roots of Romans 8:28 and how to look at God in the midst on human tragedy.
