I had gone out to dinner with friends. After we finished, they headed home. I wasn't tired so I decided to go to the city.
I asked God to take me on an adventure....and He did.
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I was driving, with no real destination in mind, when I saw bright lights. As I got closer, I realized they were lights from a football field. I fondly remember my high school football-watching-marching-band-playing days so I decided to go investigate. As I drove by, I noticed the band lined up on the side of the field and I couldn't resist watching and listening to them so I parked my car and went in. I decided to sit on the home team's side, but after I climbed to the top of the stadium to stand (because the seats were all wet), I realized I was on the visitor's side. "Wrong side," I thought. But I wasn't going to climb back down and walk to the other side so I just stayed there. The band was on the field and I watched and smiled....but again thought, "Wrong side," because the band was mostly facing the home team's side, which made the music a little difficult to hear, and I, of course, was on the visitor's side. After the home team's band played, the band from the visitor's team played, too. A double treat!!
Halftime was over and the game started again. I decided to stay for just a few minutes. The visitor's team wasn't doing so well. Their score was 0. The home team had 20 or 30 something. (Ok...I admit I'm not good at remembering scores!! But the home team was definitely outscoring the visitor's team!) I started praying for the visiting team...that they would get a touchdown....anything...I didn't want them to go home without any points on the board. I looked around the visitor's side. Only a few people were really paying attention to the game. I noticed an older man watching with a serious, almost pained look on his face. I wondered if he was some boy's father....watching and wondering what to say to his son after the game. What do you say to someone whose team has lost a game by so very much? The people on the visitor's side continued to talk and visit....and I kept praying....for a touchdown....and that the clock would move faster! I wanted to see the game, but I also wanted to leave and I couldn't decide which I wanted more. Well, the 3rd quarter came and went....and I was still there. I looked around and prayed for the people...that they would know Jesus...that He would be with them. As I stood there, I asked God, "Does it make a difference that I'm here....does it make a difference that I'm praying for people at this game?" I realized that if I truly believed in prayer, which I whole-heartedly do, that it did make a difference that I was there and praying. I thought maybe that was my adventure, my reason that I had ended up at that game that night. Maybe someone there needed prayer.
The clock seemed to move faster in the 4th quarter...and I was glad! I thought about leaving with only a few minutes to go....but, thankfully, I stayed to the end because that's when God really showed me the reason I was there. I kept watching....and praying. With about 2 and a half minutes to go, the visitors were very close to making a touchdown. Excitement grew within me. "Please, God, let them make a touchdown! Let there be rejoicing on this side of the field!" A few plays later, the visitor's side exploded in joy!! They made a touchdown and even earned an extra point afterwards!! The score was 49 to 7. I saw some of the players from the visitor's team smiling and that made me smile. I felt happy for them that they had something to celebrate. Now the visitor's side was alive! People clapped and cheered and actually watched the game.
And it made me wonder....how many times do we sit back, involved in our own lives, not really encouraging those who need it while they're down? Do we also wait, like the people in the visitor's stand, until some worthy accomplishment comes along for someone and then get interested and give our encouragement to him or her? Wouldn't it be helpful to also give encouragement when they're down, when they're trying to find their way, when they're scrambling to make a touchdown in life instead of just waiting until the goal has already been made?
As I continued to watch the team members celebrate, one young man on the sidelines caught my eye. He was hugging the other players.....a high school boy hugging other players openly and with such love. I couldn't help watching him. He hugged several players and bent down to hug someone sitting on a bench...it even looked like he leaned over and kissed the top of his helmet! He went up to some of the men on the field....perhaps some of the coaches...and extended his hand for a handshake. I was so taken with the mature way in which he carried himself and his openness in showing how much he cared for people. Tears filled my eyes as I watched....and learned. As a Christian, shouldn't I be that open in showing love and affection to others? Shouldn't people know I'm a Christian by my love, just as the song says? I didn't know whether that young man was a Christian or not....I wanted to talk to him and ask him if he was. I imagined the conversation going something like this:
"Hey, Number 25! Good game out there! Are you a Christian?"
"Thanks! Yes, I am!"
"It shows!"
And our Christian love for others should "show" too, whether we're hugging someone or helping someone carry a bunch of packages or just sitting quietly with someone at the hospital.
I didn't actually have a chance to talk to Number 25....still don't know whether he is a Christian or not, but God used him and the others things that happened at the football game that night to teach me several things. Don't be so caught up in your own life that you forget to look around for others who need you....Encourage others when they're down, don't wait until they accomplish something wonderful before you lavish praise and encouragement on them....Let your love for others show....openly and uninhibitedly.
It was only as I was driving home that I realized I was not on the "wrong side" of the field at all. God had me exactly where He wanted me to be so that I could see the things I saw that night and learn the lessons He wanted me to learn.
He's so good that way!!
