Trophies of Heaven

“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the ‘good old days’ before you’ve actually left them” (Andy Bernard).

Friends, when it comes to our right-now time living in Saline County, we are smack dab in the middle of the good old days. From the population growth to the economic prosperity, from the academic and athletic success of our schools to the flourishing faith among believers in Jesus, our right-now time is the best of times to be alive and to call Saline County home.

This is true even without mention of the success on the gridiron of the Bryant Hornets and Benton Panthers. Under the leadership of Buck James and Quad Sanders at Bryant, and Brad Harris at Benton, the Hornets and Panthers have achieved historic success. The Hornets’ recent run of five consecutive state championships in Class 7A is unprecedented. The Panthers’ three 6A state championship appearances and three other semifinal seasons have etched the past 10 years in the Benton record books.

Once again, a new season will begin in War Memorial Stadium with a celebration of Saline County at the Salt Bowl as the Hornets and Panthers kick off the 2024 campaign.

Were the Apostle Paul still living, I have no doubt he’d be in a seat for the Salt Bowl. It’s impossible to read his inspired writings and not notice his appreciation for athletic competition and its parallels with a faith focus on Jesus and His eternal promises.

To the Christians in Corinth, home to the Isthmian Games, a predecessor to the modern-day Olympics, Paul wrote, “Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So, I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should…” (1 Corinthians 9.24-27).

To his young protégé, Timothy, Paul wrote, “Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next” (1 Timothy 4.8).

Then, in his second letter to Timothy (in the final chapter of Scripture Paul ever wrote), Paul confidently affirmed, “I have fought a good fight. I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness that the Lord will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his return” (2 Timothy 4.7-8).

If you’re like me, you’re eagerly awaiting the Salt Bowl. Will Bryant keep the Salt Bowl trophy? Or will Benton capture it for the first time since 2005? We’ll cheer our athletes, bands, cheer, and dance teams. We’ll don either blue or maroon. And we’ll mix and mingle with friends at Arkansas’s largest high school tailgate party.

And hopefully, during the competition, we’ll pause and reflect on how blessed we are to call Saline County home. And we’ll allow the evening’s color and pageantry to remind us that it is all a metaphor of faith—of devoting our lives to win a trophy, a crown that will last for all eternity.