Chaplain’s Column
Can you see them?
The Texas air was humid and the sky was illuminated by “Friday Night Lights” as I sat in the open air high school football stadium. I could feel it! The passions were stirring! Excitement was in the air. The Fall season was upon us. The gridiron took its rightful place at the center of our attention.
I truly believe high school football is the religion of Texas. Everyone is clothed in their team colors and jerseys. All eyes are on the field.
Do you see him? That special player, that individual on the field, who has caused me to spend my money, endure heat and sit close to people I don’t even know. Do you see him? There must be more than one special player by the thousands that filled the stadium. Many in the crowd are looking for one of those special players.
I confess, I love the game but I am not just here to see the game. The focus of my attention is directed by a greater love. I am here to see my son play the game. I was reminded of a story I heard years ago.
Ron was a 15-year-old teenager, a tenth-grade student at Granger High School. It was game day, and he was the only sophomore suiting up with the varsity team. Excitedly, he invited his mother to attend. It was her very first football game, and she promised to be there with several of her friends. The game finally ended, and she was waiting outside the locker room to drive Ron home. “What did you think of the game, Mom? Did you see the three touchdown passes our team made and our tough defense, and the fumble on the kickoff return that we recovered?” Ron asked.
His mother replied, “Ron, you were magnificent. You have such presence, and I was proud of the pride you took in the way you looked. You pulled up your knee socks eleven times during the game, and I could tell you were perspiring in all those bulky pads because you got eight drinks and splashed water on your face twice. I really like how you went out of your way to pat number 19, number five and number 90 on the back every time they came off the field.”
“Mom, how do you know all that? And how can you say I was magnificent? I didn’t even play in the game.” Ron asked.
His mother smiled and hugged him. “Ron, I don’t know anything about football. I didn’t come here to watch the game. I came here to watch you!”
The psalmist illustrates a powerful picture of God’s eyes on you in Psalm 32:8. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”
The gospel writer, Luke, records Jesus using the image of little sparrows that were sold in the markets of the Middle East of that time. The tiny birds were sold for their meat. They were very inexpensive. These little sparrows were pretty insignificant things but God watches over them. And if God cares about the tiny little birds sold in the market, how much more God cares for us. We are of more value than many sparrows.
In this game called life, who do you have your eyes on? Every day we come to this base, we get to be a part of building and training the world’s greatest military of the most blessed nation on earth. But may we never forget the greatest asset of our military is not the amazing equipment or advanced technology, but the men and women and their families who serve this nation.
I challenge you to keep your eyes on one another, look out for each other because each of you are our most valuable asset. Can you see them?
They are right in front of us!