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| Father's
Eyes |
This is 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 others 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 would never make the
cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster
because he always put 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 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, somebody loves you! |
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