I tried to choose a different topic this week and just couldn’t do it. A friend and her son had their names in the Monday paper as shopping for more Astro’s shirts. Her boss had said they could wear orange all week, and she had to add to their wardrobe. I was in a fabric store and a line of women was waiting for cuts of four (!) different selections of our home team fleece. Were these to become sweatshirts or toss blankets or just a memory of this hyper fan week? Our choir director is hoping polishing a November 2 program will take will push through various games.
I have never been a sport enthusiast nor very competitive. I really hope the home team goes all the way, yet I usually find out about the game the morning after. I was 5’9″ tall in the 8th grade without a coordinated bone in my body. Arms flapped in various directions, and I could trip over blades of grass. Proverbially the last one chosen was my calling on playing fields, and the camaraderia and cooperation of a team was not for me. The nearest I came to playing basketball was having a crush on the center. I carried a lawn chair some spring afternoons to walk with my daddy to the college field and watch a baseball game which lasted some time this side of eternity. Even watching track and field events from 4:00 on to see my daughter do whatever and whenever her dash was announced required faked enthusiasm.
However, I am a good listener. Those talking don’t really care if I contribute. They are engrossed in tossing out names and recounting plays. A certain frisson of excitement builds as each win leads to a more breathless hope of success. Strangers in the grocery store comment, “Can you imagine trying to get a ticket to a home game,” as we are picking over apples together. Last night’s loss definitely created a crush mode. I begin to feel for those players whose lives are publicly involved in the sport. Over this month they have taken the field one more afternoon or night to accomplish something by endurance and strength that is their gift to those who watch. Ongoing support and a roar of approval pouring out of a stadium may carry them to extra effort. Even I have to say, “GO, ASTROS!” Edited, the admonition of Hebrews counts as an encouraging word for their lives and, maybe, for ours.
Therefore, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,….let us run with perseverance the race set before us. Hebrews 12:1
Let Me Tell Ya 