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 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 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've 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 want 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.
SOMEBODY NEEDS YOU TO SEND THIS TO THEM