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. But 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 the game.
It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted
onto the practice field shortly before the big play off 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 the 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.
He's always reminding us to go on. He's even offering us His hand
for He knows what is best and is willing to give 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 HIM for He's watching us in the game of life.
RIGHT NOW:
somebody is very proud of you.
somebody is thinking of you.
somebody is caring about you.
somebody misses you.
somebody wants to talk to you.
somebody wants to be with you.
somebody hopes you are not in trouble.
somebody is thankful for the support you have provided.
somebody wants to hold your hand.
somebody hopes everything turns out all right.
somebody wants you to be happy.
somebody want you to find him/her.
somebody wants to give you a gift.
somebody wants to hug you.
somebody thinks you ARE a gift.
somebody admires your strength.
somebody is thinking of you and smiling.
somebody wants to protect you.
somebody can't wait to see you.
somebody loves you for who you are.
somebody treasures your spirit.
somebody is glad that you are their friend.
somebody wants to get to know you better.
somebody wants to be near you.
somebody wants you to know they are there for you.
somebody would do anything for you.
somebody wants to share their dreams with you.
somebody is alive because of you
somebody needs your support.
somebody will cry when they read this.
somebody needs you to have faith in them.
somebody trusts you.
somebody hears a song that reminds them of you.
The somebody who is thinking of you all is me..
And I know you Tmers can beat this stuff with the
right amount of persistence and courage..