For the first time in forever, the Chicago Cubs are in the playoffs! Woot! Woot! Cubs fever is all around the city, and I am singing “Go, Cubs, Go” with the rest of them. I’m watching game highlights and ESPN analysis of the players, and considering the odds of the Cubs winning the World Series.

Truth be told- I’m not a Cubs fan. As a matter of fact, I hate baseball! It is one of the most boring games to watch and play. And if I had to choose a Chicago sports team to support, the Cubs are not at the top of that list- they are ALL THE WAY at the bottom.  And this is nothing against the Cubs or their fans, I just don’t really like baseball. But, for now, I am more than willing to jump on the Cubs bandwagon and ride the tide to the World Series.

Why is that? Why do I jump of bandwagons? And I am not alone. We’ve endured a lot of heavy traffic recently when navigating around Wrigley. When the Cubs were less than .500, getting home was a breeze! But now that they are winning, the “fans” have arrived. Who are all these people?

My fair weather-ness with the Cubs has me thinking about how I treat my other relationships. Do I only cheer for my friends and family when they are winning? Do they see me and feel my love when they are having a down season? Do they know that I am on their team, regardless of where they find themselves?

I want my close relationships to mirror my relationship with the Los Angeles Lakers. I am a Laker fan, and the Lakers suck right now. And they will likely continue to suck for the next couple years. I will argue with a Bulls fan for hours about why Kobe is just as good, if not better, yes I said better, than Michael. I wear my gold and purple proudly even when their record was 21-61 last year and 27-55 the year before that. I stay up to watch games that I know they are going to lose. And when someone reminds me how bad the Lakers suck, I remind them of how hard and painful transition can be- something that Cubs and Bears fans can understand. =)

Being a true fan is tough. You have to resist the urge to give up on your team when things aren’t progressing the way you think they should. You have to stick with it through dumb management decisions, crazy trades, and unforeseen injuries. And our relationships with people are no different, we can’t give up on our friends and family members when they make crazy life decisions or go through difficult and hard times. We have to become true fans of the people that matter most to us.

As I continue to explore my interesting relationship with the Chicago Cubs (see Fair Weather Fans blog), I am reminded of the like of Jesus. The Bible recounts times when Jesus would be teaching and people would leave and no longer follow Him because what He said was too much for them to take. These were people that were either following Jesus at the time or wanted to follow Him. These were fair weather Jesus fans.

Two examples come to mind immediately- the story of the rich young ruler (Matt 19:16-22) and the bread of life sermon taught by Jesus in John 6. While teachings stories have rich theological meanings that we won’t go into here, the responses of the people were the same- the left Jesus. They were unable or unwilling to accept the teachings of Jesus and apply them to their lives and be receive the gift of salvation.

Following Jesus sounds good when He is talking about eternal life in heaven and inheriting the wealth of the wicked. But Jesus challenges fair weather fans when he calls us to abandon all others and follow Him? He challenges our fickle nature when declares that we must love Him and only Him with whole heart, soul, strength, and mind. Christ challenges fair weather fans when he tells us to give up all our worldly possessions to the poor.

As I think about my Lakers, I am reminded of Jesus. You must know that it’s not cool to be a Laker fan right now. As a matter of fact, we are laughed at in most circles. “How could you still be a Laker fan?” people ask. Are you kidding me?!!? This is a dynasty, and this light season of losing is not worthy to be compared to what has been and what will be! #lakeshow. Yes, I just applied Scripture to my Lakers. =)

But, the comparison is real. The tide has turned, and it not cool to be Jesus lover now. The world laughs at us and can’t believe that we continue to hold on to a belief that so many see as archaic and patriarchal. Despite the world’s best effort to destroy your faith, to counter your belief, it is my hope and prayer that you hold on to your confession of faith, despite the cost, despite the ridicule.