Football?

The air is charged.
The crowd holds its collective breath.
Huddling on the muddy field, fighting the elements, struggling against the attacks of their foe, the visiting football team comes together making a plan to win. There are only a few of their comrades to be found in the jeering, booing crowd. The visiting team has even suffered taunting in the form of flying paraphernalia from the bleachers. Someone stands waving a sign :
“GO HOME!”
Little do they know just how much the visiting team longs to go home - but first, they must defeat this foe...

The whistle.
A collective clap.
The huddle breaks up - the players moving with purpose.
Everyone knows his job, his calling, his part.
Though many different people, they move as one.
Mere moments later, the final play ends and they are victorious!
They’ve won!
They’re muddy, exhausted, battered and bruised but the quarterback - even though he was the coach’s son - had been out on the field the whole time helping them along.

In reality, I loathe American Football (so please forgive me if I use the incorrect terms) but it serves a purpose in my illustration. As a team, they had a definite goal. The end zone. Scrimmages and practices were a daily thing. They learned to anticipate the enemy’s moves. They worked together to achieve a common goal. Despite hardships they did not give up.

Are we doing this in our families? Do we purpose ourselves to spend time with our children? Do we make them aware of the tactics the enemy uses? Do we allow them to make some mistakes - even if it will make us look bad - so they can really learn how to stand, and stand firm?

As a family do we have a vision? Do we all know what common goal we are working towards? Just like a football team recoups and has another huddle after a down, do we re-gather as a family and restate our purpose our vision after a setback?

Do we long to go “Home”?

Are we discouraged because we are playing on a foreign field? Have we been beaten down from the remarks of neighbors, or perhaps even family and friends?

Are we trying to play the game alone or are we playing as team? Encouraging each other’s strengths and relying on each person to do his part?

Perhaps it’s time for a team meeting. Maybe you find yourself in need of some Words from the Coach. He’s always available day or night...just knock and His door will be open to you.

Hebrews 12
1THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us