The
Father's Eyes
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!
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