John Harbaugh, who won a Super Bowl as coach of the Baltimore Ravens, studies God’s playbook as closely as a game plan. He is convinced of the historical evidence for Christ’s resurrection. “It basically comes down to the resurrection,” he told Sports Spectrum. .” If the resurrection didn’t take place, then Christianity — there’s no point to it.”
The apostles and their associates were willing to die for their faith, Harbaugh said.
“Nobody at any point in time recanted when it happened — even to martyring themselves and being executed in the most gruesome ways,” he said. “They all held firm to saying that this man was crucified and rose from the dead, and they saw it. That is strong evidence to me. I don’t think you can ignore that. You’ve got to look into it. You’ve got to study it.”
READ: We asked A.I. for proof of the resurrection
Harbaugh led the Ravens to a Super Bowl title in 2013 and was voted the NFL coach of the year in 2019. Championships, though, are not the ultimate definition of success, he said.
“Before the beginning of time, he had a plan for us, and he created us in a way he knows us intimately,” Harbaugh said. “He knows what our true desires are, what our purpose is. So trying to find that purpose or connection with God and being connected and filled with the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit — that is success. That is the ultimate success.”
Each morning, Harbaugh tries to read a devotional, read the Bible and pray. Typically, it lasts half an hour.
“I trust providence, I trust God’s will, his plan,” he said. “And as much as anything, I try to put it in his hands, because when you look back, you can see where he has brought you. When you look back, there’s a certainty in the road that you’ve traveled and as I get older now I can really see that more clearly.”
–Alan Goforth | MV
