Respirit--inspiration to refresh your spirit and give you courage

The Football Game

There was 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 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-in." 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 into 
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. 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. 

Author unknown.