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 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!
