Latest / Rooted & Real With Keenan / Day 2: Believe
Transcript
- Keenan: Welcome back to Root and Real with Keenan. Yesterday we began our Nine Days to Believe series, looking at some of Ted Lasso's most famous quotes. Be curious, not judgmental. If you missed that episode, I encourage you to go back and listen. It's only about eight minutes long, and it lays the foundation for everything we're talking about in this series. So today, we're looking at what has become the symbol. of the entire show. ⁓ word. One sign. ⁓ One reminder. Believe. That blue and yellow sign hanging above the locker room isn't something special because of the tape holding it together. It's special because of what it represents: hope, possibility, perseverance, faith that things can become better even when the evidence says otherwise. But here's a question I want us to wrestle with today. does it actually mean to believe? Does believing simply mean thinking? Positively. Does it mean ignoring reality? Does it mean pretending everything will work out? is biblical belief something much deeper? explore Let's take a look at that. So one of the most recognizable images from the Ted Lasso is the handmade belief sign that hangs above the locker room door. It's yellow, the blue type. It's not flashy. It isn't even expensive. It's handwritten. It's simple. Almost childlike. Yet every player walks in underneath it. Ted understands something important. People usually perform at the level of the story they believe about themselves. If you believe you're defeated, you'll often act defeated. If you believe you'll never change, you'll stop trying. If you believe failure defines you, You'll begin living though it does. Belief ⁓ our behavior. As a counselor, I see this all the time. The stories we believe become the lives that we live. If someone believes I'm not good enough, they may avoid relationships. ⁓ someone believes I'll never succeed, they may stop pursuing opportunities. If someone believes ⁓ one can ever love me, that may push people away because. ⁓ Before they have a chance to stay. Psychology has a concept called self-efficacy, introduced by a psychologist, Albert Bandura. Self-efficacy is the belief that you can take meaningful action to face challenges and influence outcomes. Research consistently shows that people with healthy self-efficacy are more likely to persevere. Recover from setbacks and continue growing after failure. But self efficacy has limits. It says, I believe I can. Christian faith says, I believe God can, even when I can't. And that is an important distinction. So if we look at the Bible, Hebrews 11 1 says this. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Biblical faith isn't pretending, it's confidence grounded in the In care in God's character. Think about Abraham, Old Testament dude. He believed God's promises before he ever saw fulfilled. Think about David. He walked toward Goliath, trusting God before the giant ever fell. Let's think about Peter. He stepped out of the boat before he knew how the next step would unfold. Faith doesn't deny reality. Faith looks reality in the eyes and says, God is still faithful. So there's a difference between optimism and biblical faith. says everything will probably work out. Biblical faith says even if things don't work out the way I hope, God is still good and still present and still working. That's why Christians can have hope even in suffering. Our hope isn't built on circumstances, it's built on Christ. One of the greatest battles ⁓ fight is not around us. It's between our ears. story you are telling yourself. I'll never change. I'm a failure. I'm too broken. I'm not enough. ⁓ beliefs influence emotions, behaviors, and relationships. ⁓ counselors, we help people identify those automatic thoughts and evaluate whether they're true. As Christians, we take that one step further. We ask, what does God say? The gospel reminds us. You are not your worst mistake. You are not your diagnosis. You are not your past. Your identity is found in Christ. So this week, the next few days, pay attention to the messages you repeat yours to repeat to yourself. you notice a discouraging belief, write it down. Then ask two questions. Is this completely true? And what does the Bible say instead? Replace the lie with truth. Not because you're trying to fake positivity, because you're learning to align your mind with what God says. So this week, write one sentence beginning with, because God is faithful, I will blank. And maybe it's because God is faithful, I will apply for the job. God is faithful, I will forgive. Because God is faithful, I will take the first step towards healing. I put the sentence, ⁓ that sentence somewhere you'll see it every day this week. On the mirror, on the fridge, in your car, on your desk. Wherever you'll see it every week. So thank you all for joining me for day two of Nine Days to Believe. Tomorrow we'll talk about another unforgettable quote from Ted Lasso. Be a goldfish. And some of you already know where that's from, but we'll explore why learning to let go of past mistakes is essential for mental health, emotional resilience, and spiritual growth. Until then, stay rooted in Christ, stay real with yourself, and remember. Real belief isn't pretending life is easy. It's trusting God is that He's faithful, even when life is hard.