|
|
Da Rashid is sharing
with us a touching 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.
His faithful father was always in the stands,
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 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 wants 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 want 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
Rashid T