THE FOOTBALL PLAYER

Bob Richards, the former pole-vault champion, shares a moving story
about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart.
Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But
being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere. At all
the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played.
This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a
very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the bench,
his father was always in the stands cheering.

He never missed a game. This young man was still the smallest of the
class when he entered high school. His father continued to encourage him
but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he
didn't want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in
there. He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps
he'd get to play when he became a senior. All through high school he
never missed a practice nor a game but remained a bench-warmer all four
years.

His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of
encouragement for him. When the young man went to college, he decided
to try out for the football team as a "walk-on." Everyone was sure he
could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept
him on the roster because he always puts his heart and soul to every
practice, and at the same time, provided the other members with the
spirit and hustle they badly needed.

The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he
rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared his
excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games.
This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four
years at college, but he never got to play in a game. It was the end of
his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field
shortly before the big playoff game, the coach met him with a telegram.
The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent. Swallowing
hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning. Is it all
right if I miss practice today?"

The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the
rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game
on Saturday." Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the
third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man
quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear.
As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded
to see their faithful teammate back so soon.

"Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today," said the young
man.
The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his
worst player in this close playoff game. But the young man persisted,
and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. "All right,"
he said. "You can go in."

Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could
not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before
was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He
ran, he passed, blocked, and tackled like a star. His team began to
triumph.

The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid
intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The
fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such
cheering you never heard.

Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and
left the locker room, the coach noticed that this young man was sitting
quietly in the corner all alone The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I
can't believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did
you do it?" He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said,
"Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?"
The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my
games, but today was the first time
he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"

Like the athlete's father, God is always there cheering for us. Our
loving  God is always reminding us to go on, offering us a
hand, knowing what is best, giving us what we need and not simply what
we want. God has never missed a single game. What a joy to know that
life is meaningful if lived for the Highest. Live for the Creator, who
is watching us in the game of life!