USC vs. Clemson

So after a glorious game on Saturday my Gamecocks finally managed to get a win over Clemson after losing the last 4 straight games to them. I was and am so happy and now have bragging rights until next year. Over the years I have developed a strong burning dislike towards Clemson in general, not just their football team but the entire school, and anyone who goes there. It's a rivalry so obviously we don't like each other, but after the game I thought about why I don't like Clemson so much.

The reason I learned is their FANS. For the past four years all I've been hearing about is how bad we are and how many times we have lost to them. There are countless people who think Clemson was actually built by God himself. Some of the things I've heard and the way that some of the fans have acted towards me have led me to strongly dislike Clemson.

So I got to thinking more about it and I thought about many Clemson fans and families who are truly awesome people who I love a lot. I don't dislike them at all, and they've never done anything to put out a bad Clemson vibe to me. Then I thought some more and realized that there are probably fewer Clemson fans that I don't like then ones that I actually do, and it really isn't all that bad of a place.

About a handful of people ruined Clemson for me. It didn't take much, and everytime someone said something dumb I thought, "Oh, boy another stupid Clemson fan". In reality though it's the people who aren't really Die Hard about Clemson that ruin it. If they really cared about their school they wouldn't be dissing everyone else and being jerks about it, they would just be pleased with their school and try and put off a good vibe to others so that they would be attracted to it.

It got me to realize that there are tons of times where I have said some dumb things and possibly ruined Jesus for some people. There are countless times where I have been very hypocritical, and I finally realize how much it can affect someone who doesn't know Jesus. Their entire perception of who God is, and who I say God is can be changed by a simple mistake. It's really challenging. Now I don't think I'll ever be perfect but I certainly want to make the best effort possible to reflect who God really is and love people and live what I profess.

I know I've done a poor job, but my heart and my prayer is that not only me but we as a church can strive to not be hypocrites but to follow Christ with all that we have and with all that he has equipped us with.