"The game always pays you back"

12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”  Luke 12:12-14


Throughout my coaching career, I have had the blessing of seeing the impact the game of football can have on a young man’s life. Whether it is a boy from a dysfunctional family who finds his, “family”, among his teammates or a young man from a supportive family who learns how to help others who are not as fortunate. I have seen the young man who the game forces to put away his selfish ambitions for the good of his team, when everything about his nature is saying to do otherwise. I have witnessed the young man whose life was headed in a terribly wrong direction but, when he felt accepted by a team, found something that made his life valuable. I have coached the young man who was a daily struggle for me as a coach only to return a few years later to tell me how great his life is and how much he credits the game. I have seen young men who do not have a father figure in their life and do not trust any men, find a coach who pushes them to succeed, holds them accountable for their actions, and counts them as their own son. I have also been blessed to coach the young men who are wise beyond their young age, whose character causes me to evaluate my own life, and who go on to change the world. I have been blessed to see the positive impact the challenges of this game can have on a young man and I have also known the young men who are never willing to commit to their team and continue on with a life of little commitment or devotion. They could never put away their selfish ambitions and accept the benefits the game has to offer those who totally put themselves aside for the good of others.

There is an old saying about the game that has always meant a lot to me because it is very true in my life. The saying is, “The game always pays you back”. There are some who the game repays them with stardom, popularity, or even a huge pro contract. Others are paid back through lifelong friends they would have only made by being a member of a team. Some are paid back on the day they walk into a job interview and meet the person making the decision, who was also a football player. Many others received the same payment from football that I received as a young man. The game gave me an opportunity to find out if I was mentally tough enough to handle the challenges of life. Through the game I learned that I could handle waking up and doing my job regardless of how I felt because I had proven to myself that I could on the many long days in a football players life. Whether the game pays a player back early in his life or years after the playing days are over, it always pays you back. The game also continues to pay back until the end of each players life.

Our Heavenly Father also repays our good deeds that are selflessly done for one of His children. In the verses from Luke 14, we are told about a banquet. At first glance the story does not appear to have anything to do with humbly serving others without expectation of being repaid. The verses tell us, when inviting guests to a banquet, to not invite our family, loved ones, or neighbors because they can repay you with an invitation to their banquet. You will receive your reward on earth instead of in heaven. Instead we should invite those who cannot repay us and make them our honored guests knowing that we will one day receive a reward in heaven that is much greater than a banquet invitation. The game of football always repays those who honor the game by giving our best efforts and seek to make their teammates better players and people. Our Heavenly Father also promises to reward us for living our life in a way to make others better without anyone ever knowing. And His rewards are much better than recognition and fame on the earth.


Chad