Is God a Steelers Fan?

Stevie Johnson, a wide receiver for the NFL's Buffalo Bills, recently made headlines with a post on his Twitter account.  Johnson dropped a winning touchdown pass in overtime that would have given the lowly Bills a surprising upset over the six-time SuperBowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.  In his tweet Johnson blamed God for the dropped pass.

Many people came down hard on Johnson for playing the divine blame game.  God likely has more important things to do than to help an overpaid millionaire catch a piece of pigskin.  There are after all millions of people starving to death all over the world right now. 

Before we get too high up on our horse, are we much different than Mr. Johnson?  How often do we blame God when things don't go the way we want them to in life?  When we get a bad grade on a test.  When we are passed over for the promotion.  When relationships fall apart.  When someone we love dies. 

As we prepare for Christmas, the Bible reminds us of one of Jesus' titles, Immanuel, which means God with us.  God chose to become human to help us through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  God's Holy Spirit is with us always in our everyday lives.  When things don't go our way, instead of blaming God maybe we could ask God to reassure us that we aren't going it alone.  That God is right there with us, to comfort us and to bring joy and peace into our lives.  That Jesus is Immanuel.