The Fumble

The season of college football is upon us. This is the season when my nine year old son glues himself to our ragged couch, my usually even-tempered husband screams kid-friendly epitaphs at the television set, and the roar of cheering crowds echos down the hallway. Even though I grew up sports-illiterate, I married a guy who has lived and breathed sports for the last thirty years and is indoctrinating our children into “the way”.

I sat down on the sofa today, and snuggled into my husband’s side as he focused in on the TV. The game was between Florida and Missouri, but I wasn’t there for the plays, I was just there to chat with my husband during commercials. Suddenly, he sat up straight and groaned, “Ohhhhh no! How could he drop the ball like that!” The replay camera rolled and in slow motion it showed the Missouri quarterback throwing a snappy, short pass to his wide receiver.

The wide receiver had no interceptors or blockers keeping him from the catch. He had an open line to an easy touchdown, but instead of pulling the ball into a tight hold, he fumbled and the ball slipped from his grasp, bouncing onto the grassy field. The player immediately realized his costly mistake, and even with no sound his body language clearly displayed ultimate frustration and disappointment.

The wide receiver was called back to the bench but I watched as he was greeted by his teammates. One grabbed his friend’s helmet and they stood head to head for a moment. Several slapped him heartily on his shoulder, and another, unheeding of the camera panning across them encouraged his friend with a few quiet words. Even though their dialogue was unheard by the thousands of fans, those few well-placed words brought life back into the dispirited player. Those quick, comforting gestures reminded the receiver to brush off the dust, and get back up.

Have you ever fallen down? Have you ever been discouraged by your own failings and mistakes? Are the errors in your life dragging you down? Have you ever fumbled the ball when you should have scored a touchdown?

Life has a way of showing us how much we need Jesus. If you’re like me, just when you’re confident of your abilities to succeed, you wake up late and totally miss your child’s doctor appointment. Maybe you cooked a homey meal and invited guests, then had to feed them peanut butter sandwiches at the last minute because you didn’t realize your meat went bad. Perhaps people from church drop by unexpectedly and see the horror of your house in shambles, your child running naked down the hallway, and you, dressed only in your robe and mom bun, while the smell of stale diapers and dirty dishes wafts around you. ( I’ve tried the “hide behind the drapes” method, but invariably someone mistakes my smothered, “NOOOOO don’t open the door!” for “GOOOOO open the door”)

Sometimes the shoe is on the other foot and you are a spectator to someone else’s massive failings. Maybe your spouse wrecked the car, or overdrew the account. Perhaps your child assured you that they were capable of washing clothes and yet somehow a pink crayon melted into the dryer and ruined four pairs of jeans. Sometimes it’s a co-worker whose bright idea ruined your group project and brought down a harsh lecture from your boss.

What should we do in those situations? Should we jeer at the failings of our teammate like the crowd in the football stadium? Is our response to scream insults and fling hurtful words? Should we say smugly, “I told you so!” or would the Lord have us simply walk along side them, and encourage them?

There is verse I taught to my kids last year as we were homeschooling. I don’t know if they even remember it but the Holy Spirit is constantly bringing it back to my mind. 1 Thessalonians 5:11(NIV) says, “Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

Encourage one another.

1 Corinthians 1:3-4 reminds us to comfort others with the same comfort that God has freely given to us.

Comfort one another.

Proverbs 25:11 says that “a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver”.

Speak the right words at the perfect moment.

1 Corinthians 13, says that love “keeps no record of wrongs”. (vs 5 NIV).

Don’t let that “I told you so!” or “I knew you would fail!” slip out of your mouth.

If you have a hard time being encouraging in difficult situations remember what Luke 6:31 says, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”

This is a literal punch to my gut . It’s a reminder that when the situation is reversed, I want someone to offer me healing mercy, not condemnation. Too many times I’ve stopped at verse 31 and skipped the importance of verse 35. This scripture continues the theme and then reminds us why we encourage and love. “He(God our Father) is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful”. My Father is merciful. He is encouraging. His character is to love us when we are so messed up and so far down that nothing but the perfect blood of Jesus could extract us from the claws and the jeering accusations of satan.

So the next time you see someone drop the ball, find something encouraging to say. When your son dejectedly walks through the door because their basketball team lost their game, praise the fact that they scored a point! And maybe the next time YOU mess up, someone will grab your helmet and say, “brush the dirt off Honey, let’s get back in the game!”

Let’s encourage one another.

Take a moment:

Pull out your bible and read 1 Cor 1:3-4. Repeated words in the bible remind me to pay attention, so zero in on the word you see listed four times. What word did you notice?

What situation in your life needs comfort or alternatively, where is a situation that needs your encouragement?

Ask the Lord to show you a specific person that needs your encouragement this week and reach out to offer them hope this week.