Friday Night Lights: and the saviour declared "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose"
Created by Jillian Doucet
"Clear Eyes Full Hearts can't lose"- Coach Taylor
----This statement by Coach Taylor has deeper significanes then just trying to pump his team up before a game. The words lie within the Christian faith as indicators towards leading these boys to a pure fulfilled life. In many sports they pray before games and take a knee to kneel before their coach , which is similar to those who pray in churches of certain Christian demomination. Being on your knees and opening your whole spirit to the Lord is showing your sign of respect and servitude. This idea is also connected to being faithful and devoting all one has to their religion is what evangelic Christianity(1) promotes, and without being directly in ones face the motto "clear eyes full hearts can't lose" portrays such ideals. The coach has faith in his team and his players and wants them to be aware of their actions and help guide them through life as a passionate player and in the end they will achieve greatness in anything they do. God and his disciples have similar values in respect they follow the commandments and his words that will bring them passion/love for them and in turn they will be rewarded with a blessed life.
"means a mind and vision unconflicted by doubt or fear. The ability to be in the present moment and deal with each second as it comes" (Rumi, Maryam, 2013). Having a sense of direction that will leave you open for choices that could benefit you and not harm, is all in perspective of how religious values attempt to put forth their ideals.
Clear Eyes ->
Full Hearts ->
"Engaged and full of passion" (Rumi, Maryam, 2013). Being able to fully engage in yourself and have a passion for something such as football can drive oneself to a place of undivided devotion. Christianity aimes to try ensure all believers have full devotion and passion for all their beliefs and aspects of life.
Can't Lose ->
If you can have a clear vision and consciousness and love for the game or scripture then their is no way one can lose the game or their way in life.
Many sports in the United States of America are still heavily religious to the point they may even consider some to be a religion. Football is one of those cases in America which has been strongly influenced by Christianity. "Football owes its existence to American piety. Everything that makes football unique -- its inestimable popularity, its privileged status in higher education, the deep-rooted feeling that the game teaches something deeper and more powerful than X's and Os"(Tanier, 2012). Watching a football game on television or in person, the players always take a knee if someone gets injured or point to the sky if they get a touchdown which can "lead to an understanding of the role of religion in sport. 'Religion plays a significant role in the culture of athletic associations and influences institutional values(Schroeder& Paredes Scribner, 2006)'"(Jirasek, 2015).
Sports has long been acknowledged as an arena where idols can be worshipped..."(Nelson,2003), so the players that take a knee or point to the sky are just showing their devotion to the one they idolize. The players want to live up to the standards that their god has left, and when something goes right its worth thanking him. These actions are an expression of values that the players have learned through their faith and in the case of Friday Night Lights the teams faith is in Coach Taylor(God).
1from first paragraph -The term Christian essentially means "follower of Christ."Christian is the term given to followers of Jesus Christ in the first century A.D. (Acts 11:26). The term evangelical comes from the Greek word that means "good news." Evangelism is sharing the good news of the salvation that is available through Jesus Christ. An evangelical, then, is a person dedicated to promoting the good news about Jesus Christ. Combined, the description "evangelical Christian" is intended to indicate a believer in Jesus Christ who is faithful in sharing and promoting the good news.( Got Questions Ministries, 2015)
This recording from Christ Central Church begins to describe how one coach Taylor uses his words of "clear eyes full hearts can't lose" as an important motto for his team during half time of games in order to regroup and bring the thoughts of the players back to their faith and what they came to the field to prove. In this pastor Daniel Mason's sermon he begins to relate how Coach Taylor's spirit of huddling his players for a pep talk, to the passage of Mark 8:22-38 where Jesus speaks to his disciples in order to fully embrace him, they need to have clear eyes and full hearts for him and the church in all their doings and only then will they not lose their way.
Being able to see clearly is difficult and that is why Jesus needs to teach the disciples how to see by using their own understanding and the others around you. That is why in the passage by Mark 8:22-38 Jesus has a blind man brought to the village to teach the disciples the difference. Coach Taylor does not go about his teaching in such a drastic way, but he helps to refocus the players attention and vision when they seem lost. In that refocusing to ensure the disciples/ players are clear eyes and full hearts that is how Coach Taylor and Jesus Christ can't lose their followers.