In this week's Ted Lasso series finale, fans believed one last time.
'Believe' became the go-to catchphrase for the eponymous coach from Kansas. From the very beginning of the series, the moustached Mourinho said that he wasn't interested in winning and losing, but rather in helping his young men be the best versions of themselves they could be.
Over the next three seasons, we saw a team learn what faith looked like. Faith in themselves, faith in their manager, and faith in each other. The results played out on the scoreboard, not that Lasso was focused on that.
Whether we're drawn to professional or personal success (whatever that means for us), we have much to learn from Jason Sudeikis' beloved character. It's all too easy for disciples of Jesus to become fixated on 'results' in our lives – the promotion, the bank balance, the marathon medal, the Insta pics.
But if we start by growing in our belief and faith that Jesus is real, then our picture of success becomes less the material wins and losses, and more becoming the person that we were made to be. Perhaps not Premier League footballers, but certainly children of God.
And the more we learn to live in that identity, the more we will be concerned with the kingdom fruit we bear rather than the earthly things we achieve.
When we're living out our belief in Jesus in every part of our lives, we will see the difference on the 'scoreboard' – in the people cared for, the workplaces made fairer, the policies redeemed, the quality work produced, the hospitality shared, the disciples made. Not for our glory – but for God's.
Sam Brown is Church Advocate at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC).
