Persistence of a 3rd Grader
Many of you may not know that after 14 years of coaching middle and high school football I decided to step away from that role back in the Spring. I did however decide to continue coaching the Riverside Football League. The league is made up of 3rd, 4th and 5th grade boys from around the community looking to learn the game. Mainly the art of blocking and tackling. I coach them twice a week and then officiate the games on Saturday morning while some of the teenage boys or varsity coaches help them get lined up in the right spot. As you can imagine it is an undertaking but a lot of fun. The boys are excited and especially when they get to run the ball and all of them do at some point in our league.
Our first game for the 2021 season was back on October 16th. At the Thursday practice prior to the game we handed out game jerseys and we divided the players up into the “White Knights” and “Purple Knights”. The team rosters remain fluid to keep a competitive balance throughout the season or to keep from too many having to sit out. Most of the points in this league come on long runs. I instruct them on the rules of the game the best I can. Prior to the game and at the last practice I had really focused on explaining the importance of not getting a “holding penalty” on offense. As an offensive player blocking a defensive player in an attempt to keep the offensive ball carrier from being tackled you have to keep your hands inside the defender. “Keeping your hands inside” means not putting their hands on top of the shoulder pads and grabbing the jersey. On one long run and score the ball carrier’s teammate, a third grader who had blocked for him began to explain to me loudly, in a way that everyone could hear repeatedly “I held him coach! I just can’t let that go. I held him and we shouldn’t have scored!” He continued to tell everyone who was present even as I was trying to get him to be quiet. He was so consumed with getting it right, I eventually had to throw the flag and march his very own team back and take the points off the scoreboard. I can say that I’ve heard players admit that they should’ve gotten a penalty before but I’ve never heard one insist on it being called.
The honesty of that 3rd grader convicted me. In a world where we can all point out when things aren’t as they should be, are we willing to do something about it? Are we honest about our limitations or shortcomings but willing to do what we can? He was not going to allow that injustice to occur without doing his due diligence. He probably can’t even spell that phrase or even know what it means but he was an example of it. I continue to pray for discernment in my own life. I want to know God’s will and I hope he makes it abundantly clear when I need to be bold in my approach. There are some things in life that are easy to be bold about. Other things not so much. I can be bold about my allegiance to my favorite sports team but when was the last time I was bold about the love of God for myself and others.
Tact is an important trait that is difficult to hone. Knowing what to say, how to say it and when, are all lifetime achievement awards that we craft the rest of our lives. We probably can think of folks who need more of it (stop picturing my face Ben). It can also be refreshing when you have people who let you know exactly how they feel about you. The Bible teaches in Romans 12:10 that you can be genuine in your love and also take delight in honoring each other. That is a balance we can find in our human relationships and our connection with God.
I find it hard to pray. I know I am not alone. Some of my issue is I’m lazy. Another issue is I feel like I’m complaining too much. A lot of it is I don’t want to have a “canned” prayer life where I recite the same thing all the time like some of my public prayers tend to be. It’s difficult to be emotionless and unintentionally I believe that is how prayer is portrayed in public, television and movies too often. I’m not judging anyone on their approach to prayer but revealing my own problems rooted in my perspective and the need to change it. When my personal prayer life is at its best it is packed with emotion. It is encouraging when I read passages that let us know we can be genuine with God and honor him at the same time. Romans 8 and its encouragement to let the Spirit intercede for us. Also the parable of the wicked judge in Luke 18:1-8 and the widow whose persistence yielded results. I’m thankful for the reminder from a 3rd grader on a crisp football Saturday.
Travis