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-in." 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!
Author Unknown
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