A Bigger Reason

By Cheri Bunch
Going out for football for the first time in your senior year of high school is probably not the best idea. If you want to get to play at all, that is. A lot of people were encouraging our son, Josiah (a senior), that he should play. He is a big guy and would surely be an asset to the team. He likes football, so he decided to give it a shot.

He was picked to play defense on the second string, which means he doesn’t get to play much, if at all. Day after day, Josiah goes to practice, runs extra laps if the team is punished for penalties, works hard and comes home knowing that he probably will stand on the sidelines at game time, watching his team win or lose.

It is hard, even mundane. He would rather be out there playing every minute of the game, or if not every minute, he would settle even for a couple of minutes of playing time.

He wears a shroud of heaviness after a game. I try to break the silence with positive comments like, “I am so proud of you! It is hard to stay in there when you don’t get to play. Your commitment to the team will pay off.”

Taking the field under the big lights on Friday nights would be a high for Josiah, but he has a bigger reason for playing football. He wants to go into the Navy and become a Seal. He knows that it will be tough and he must physically prepare himself for the application tests. Football is a great way to get into shape.

To persevere spiritually when all is going well and we are in the limelight, with everyone watching and applauding our success, proves beneficial. Persevering when no one is watching, or at least noticing, or calling us out to “perform,” reveals to us and to the Lord that we have a higher purpose, a greater cause, an eternal reason beyond the glory of the spotlight.

I have a plaque hanging above the shower head in my shower that reads: “A person’s true character is revealed by what he does when he thinks no one is watching.”

There will be moments of spotlighted glory for a few of us, but the majority of our days on this eternal journey will be spent serving the Lord and our families during the mundane, hidden hours of life. For this reason, it is imperative that we have a bigger, eternal purpose and recognize that serving is the higher calling and perseverance will be rewarded.

For me, I am finding it difficult to watch Josiah wait on the sidelines at the football games hoping that he will get to play. I want him to get to go in and show his stuff! But I have to keep in mind there is a bigger purpose, a more important goal, something greater to be gained from his experience. His dedication will not be without reward. He will gain endurance, he will grow in perseverance, he will be disciplined, and he will grow in compassion. So I am choosing to rejoice in what will be gained and realize a larger purpose is being fulfilled.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 (The Message)
“This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting--God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming.”