On the verge of victory and being the first African nation to make it to a World Cup semi-final, a player on the other team, who was not the goalkeeper, saved the ball off of the goal line with his hands. Clearly illegal, he was red-carded, and my team was awarded a penalty.
Unfortunately, we missed that penalty and went on to lose the game in a shootout. My team was eliminated from football’s most prestigious tournament in part because our opponent cheated.
It was a difficult moment. Full of anger and frustration, some of my teammates said things like, “we will never forgive him.”
I forgave him. Why? Because Christ forgives us when we do something wrong. We are supposed to do the same to others. I want to take the initiative to forgive, regardless of what the error was.
In order to be able to look back on my World Cup experience with joy, I needed to be able to forgive. This was the only way I would be freed from the frustration and disappointment I felt in that moment—to let it go through the act of forgiveness.
When Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray, He includes an important line about forgiveness, instructing them to ask the Father for forgiveness in the same way they extend forgiveness to others (Matthew 6:12).
We cannot accept God’s grace for ourselves and fail to extend that same grace to those who wrong us. That doesn’t mean we have to be best friends with that person or put ourselves back in harmful situations—because forgiveness is ultimately about releasing the offense from our hearts.
Often, forgiveness is not easy, especially when someone has hurt us deeply. The only way to find the strength and courage to forgive is to surrender to the Lord. When we truly let go and choose to forgive, we take hold of peace instead of the bitterness that wants to enslave us.
Challenge
Who has God called you to forgive?
Have you surrendered the emotions to God, or are you still holding onto bitterness?
Prayer
Father, I thank you for the forgiveness You have shown me, for the grace I don’t deserve. Help me to forgive the people in my life who have wronged me. Set me free from any anger or bitterness in my heart. May I be a reflection of You in the way I love and forgive others, so they can see you in me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Summary
Through Jonathan’s story, we’ve seen that surrender is not a single moment, but a lifelong posture of trust and obedience. To be fully His means laying down control—our pride, our outcomes, our dreams, our comfort, and even our bitterness—and placing them in God’s hands day after day. True freedom, purpose, and impact are found not in holding on tighter, but in fully yielding our lives for God’s glory.
Next Steps
We have other devotionals from World Cup players and athletes like Jonathan You can find them on the Athletes in Action Connect page here in the Bible App. Keep growing, keep learning, and keep walking with Jesus through His Word.
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