Living With WisdomSample

Everything is Sacred

Derwin Gray has quite a few success stories as a former NFL player, a bestselling author, and a pastor. But he doesn’t put too much stock in any of his own accomplishments. He knows his relationship with God is 100% based on Jesus’ sacrifice and righteousness — not his own. That’s why he’s so passionate about sharing the truth of Jesus with the world. His bestselling books help hungry Christians connect with God on a deeper level, especially through prayer. His latest book, God, Do You Hear Me?, takes people through the Lord’s Prayer with practical insights and real-life application.

Today, we’re asking Derwin about his spiritual practices. Read on and be inspired!

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I didn't grow up in church. I came to faith through a teammate at about 25 or 26 years old. His name was Steve Grant, but his nickname was “the Naked Preacher” because every day after practice, he'd shower, dry off, wrap a towel around his waist, get his Bible, and ask my teammates, “Do you know Jesus?” I was thinking, Bro, do you know you're half-naked? It was just the strangest thing! But he wasn't overbearing. He was kind. He was compassionate. My teammates were always in his locker when they needed advice. And so one day, he asked me, “Gray, do you know Jesus?”

That question began a five-year roller coaster of my life falling apart. Externally, I was doing great, but I couldn't love my wife the way she deserved. It was hard to forgive myself. I couldn’t forgive my dad. I was afraid of who I would be when my NFL career was over.

Eventually, though, I came to know Jesus on August 2, 1997, in a small dorm room in Anderson, Indiana. (Anderson University was my fifth-year NFL training camp.) It happened right after lunchtime while I was walking to my dorm room. I just felt this giant chasm in my soul. I called my wife and said, “I want to be more committed to you, and I want to be committed to Jesus.” And that's when I was born again! I felt divine love. I felt myself going from death to life. I’m sharing all this to say that I never knew that there was a secular-sacred divide. I never knew that when I played football, I was supposed to leave Jesus in the church building. I never knew I was supposed to go without him all week long except Sunday.

I remember one game in particular where I brought Jesus onto the field. We were playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I was on defense, and I came in for what's called a safety blitz. All you need to know is that my job was to sack the quarterback. Well, this lineman saw me coming in, and he hit me pretty hard to block me. Then he started cussing me out. At this point, I was just recently saved, so as he's cussing me out, I'm running next to him, saying, “Bro, Jesus loves you so much. Jesus will forgive your sins. Let me tell you how much Jesus loves you, bro. On the cross, he took your place.” While I'm running next to him, he's cussing me out, and he kicks me in the butt. As funny as it was, the entire experience goes to show how I had no idea that there were Christians who believed that Sunday was for Jesus and that the other six days of the week were for secular work.

The word secular means “without God.” And if I can reach into my scholar bag, the idea of a secular-sacred divide is a product of the Western Enlightenment. The Western Enlightenment was started by a Christian named Rene Descartes, who famously said, “I think, therefore I am.” He was trying to combat atheism, but what he did was make human beings the center of knowledge. Before the Enlightenment, instead of “I think, therefore I am,” the prevailing idea was “Because of the great I AM, we are.” So, as a result of the Enlightenment, a mindset arose that secular things were for the week and sacred things were for the weekend. And unfortunately, many Christians have bought into that deception.

The truth is, if you're a follower of Jesus, the Bible says you are a temple of the Holy Spirit. Jews and Gentiles in the first century believed that their god (or gods) lived in a temple. But now, in Christ, wherever you go, God goes — because you are his temple. Think about that. You are his temple. Wherever you are is where he is. You are sacred. Everything that your hands touch is sacred. Everything that you do is sacred. That's why Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Everything we touch is sacred because we are a temple of the Holy Spirit, so we don't divide life into secular and sacred. Going out on a date is worship. Washing the car is worship. Eating dinner is worship. The only thing that's not worship is sin.

—Derwin Gray, former NFL defensive back, as told to Rapt Interviews