Awareness
As a young man, I was always drawn to football, and therefore it became a defining part of my childhood. I played for the Niles Falcons in Pop Warner, and I have been a Chicago Bears fan since I was seven years old. I enjoy other sports, of course, but the NFL is the only one I watch consistently. Interestingly, throughout all these years, I vividly remember seeing a fan or two in each end zone holding up big white cardboard signs with just one message on them: John 3:16.
No matter the team, the matchup, or the stadium, the moment a field goal went up, there it was again. However, despite seeing it countless times, I was never curious enough to explore what it truly meant until now.
As you read this blog, it is the day after Thanksgiving, and football is woven deeply into our holiday traditions. Consequently, the NFL even introduced a professional game on Black Friday, adding yet another layer to the weekend’s ritual.
Consciousness
As a lifelong fan, I began to wonder if there was something more valuable to explore than just who won the game. Maybe, as the season unfolds and families gather around their televisions, we are meant to learn something deeper about life than simple consumption.
Enjoy your holiday weekend because it might offer more wisdom than we expect.
Missing pictures
Every time the camera cuts behind the uprights during a kick, the bright white sign appears again: JOHN 3:16, written in bold, unmistakable letters. It is always there, and therefore, I started to question why this particular message endures across time and across fan bases.
For most of my life, it was simply another part of the stadium landscape, like the cold wind, the beer commercials, and the sea of jerseys. However, a message that shows up this consistently deserves at least a moment of reflection, and eventually, I had to turn toward it and ask what it actually means.
Edict vs Message
Like many who grew up in Christian or Catholic households, I heard John 3:16 recited throughout childhood, although I rarely considered the deeper implications. Traditionally, it is framed as a declaration of God’s love expressed through sacrifice, and consequently, it is often used as a kind of spiritual scoreboard determining who is “saved.”
Yet, as my understanding of consciousness has evolved, the verse has begun to sound more like a description of the relationship between Source and creation rather than a threat or a rule. The words “God so loved the world” resonate differently now because they point toward a universe structured by love, awareness, and unity rather than fear and separation. For more insight, read my blog, Christianity's power and influence.
Accross all faiths
When I revisited the question, “Is this type of message in other religious texts?” the answer revealed itself almost immediately. Ancient cultures across continents echo similar ideas, and therefore, the theme of unity and unconditional love appears throughout spiritual traditions.
Mystics speak of oneness, Sufi poets speak of divine intoxication, Hindu texts describe the Self as inseparable from the Absolute, and Buddhist teachings dismantle the illusion of separation. In the same vein, when I explored these ideas in an earlier blog, such as The Hidden Wisdom of the Ancients, I noticed how often humanity receives variations of the same timeless message.
Questions, answered
Meanwhile, this naturally led to another question we explored in our conversation: if humans have been receiving this information forever, does it actually serve you in your life right now? In other words, the point is not whether a verse is historically accurate or doctrinally perfect, but whether its message supports your sense of inner truth and empowerment.
If the worldview you inherited tells you that you are small, flawed, and unworthy while a distant God keeps score, then as a result, you are likely to feel disempowered. However, suppose you begin to see yourself as a fractal expression of Source, alive to experience and remember your own power. In that case, the verse becomes a reminder of inherent love rather than a warning. See my blog, you are pure energy for more insight.
Play the game
Football offers an interesting parallel because it places us in the role of spectators, and consequently, we often miss the invitation to participate consciously in our own lives.
In addition, millions of us sit on our couches debating calls, yelling at the TV, and refreshing fantasy scores, while life quietly mirrors our inner state back to us. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the game; however, if all we ever do is spectate, we remain disconnected from the deeper meaning beneath the noise.
The John 3:16 sign, then, becomes a subtle signal in the background, urging us to ask whether we are living consciously or simply watching life pass by.
Stillness
As we move through the Thanksgiving weekend, the message becomes even clearer. Football scores matter for a moment, but consequently, they quickly fade into memory. Meanwhile, the real scoreboard—your state of being—continues to shape your experience.
To clarify, when you take even three conscious breaths today, and when you allow the idea that you are already held by something larger than you can name to sink in, your relationship with life subtly shifts. You begin to feel what it means to be loved without condition, without judgment, and without needing to earn anything.
Hidden in plain sight
Eventually, you return to your life as normal—heating up leftovers, watching games, laughing with family—but something inside is different. You begin to realize that John 3:16 is not about fear or spiritual pressure; instead, it is a reminder that you are already part of the Love that “so loved the world.”
Therefore, what matters most is not whether you can recite the verse but whether you embody the truth behind it. When that awareness becomes alive within you, the sign in the end zone becomes something more than a slogan. It becomes a doorway. Are you ready to take action and walk over the threshold?
