On a Saturday walk, yesterda, I walked the kids down to the football stadium to see some football. In Germany, the hih school games ar played on Saturday afternoon to give the teams travel time between the Department of Defense High School locations.
We watched as the visiting team almost scored a touchdown and then got called back for a penalty. Then, I saw the same team slowly creep closer and closer to the end zone. I could not see the scoreboard because of the sun–so I don’t know the quarer of the game nor the score. I asumed it was near the end of the fourth quarter because I saw something very suprising.
I watched the team volunteers walk across the field and pick up the yardline markers. Then the endzone markers. Then the Goal post pads. Soon the half of the field not in play was completely cleaned off.
The home team was finished for the day and ready to go home. No hope for a miraculous play.No chance of a last minute fumble.
The game was over.
How many times in our lives do we give up before the game is over. How many times do we ride out the final minutes of an assignment,; or a deployment; or a marriage thinking that the battle is already lost and there is no use in trying.
Next time you get out of breath and tired–think about what you can do in the last minutes of the game to clinch victory from defeat.