Letters to My Son

Chapter 2

Football

“The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent taketh by force.”
(Jesus – Matthew 11:12)

Hello Timothy,

I remember when you joined the little league Football team. I thought you looked adorable in your uniform, like a little man. You were playing a game made for men and you were just a child. You were suited up, had your number and had your position as running back. You were a part of a team.

I was happy that you were playing a sport that I knew you loved. You were so happy on the field and I was thrilled to watch you. What amazed me was that you took to the game like you had played it all your life. You excelled in it as I saw many times throughout the years that you did in sports. You took Karate, played tennis and also, were on the wrestling team. But on this football team, you took the game and made it your own. You played it with all your heart and became great at it. That has always been a part of who you are. You rise to the challenge and excel at it (almost effortlessly). I love that about you. I pray that you carry that same spirit of excellence into anything you do in life whether it is a career, a hobby or raising a family. I want you to face all things like that little boy on the football field, that boy on the karate mat, that teenager on the wrestling mat and that is fearlessly, wholeheartedly and in excellence.

As a running back, you were awesome. You ran like the wind, dodged bigger kids, all while holding the ball tightly in your hand. You heard the coach’s instructions and literally ran with them. You worked well with your teammates and accomplished goals. You were a team player and a star in your own right. You made incredible plays (or at least, I thought so for someone your age). You helped the team to victory and became popular to the team and fans alike. The coach thought you were amazing. They wanted you to play and included you in the game at every opportunity.

One day, my fear was realized. I saw you get tackled by a bigger kid and you came up injured. You started to cry. My heart beat faster than I’ve ever known it to beat before. I watched as the coach checked on you. Then, your father came to you. You were crying and my heart went out to you. You didn’t stop crying, so I came to the sidelines and called your name. You came over to me and I hugged you and asked you how badly were you hurt. I told you that you didn’t have to go back out on the field if you didn’t want to. To my surprise, you said you wanted to go back and play. I let you go and watched you dry your eyes and play while injured as if you hadn’t been injured at all.

What touches me most is that you came to me and let me hold and comfort you. You weren’t a baby any longer, but you knew that my arms were always there to hold you, always there to comfort and soothe you. In the presence of your teammates, your coach and a crowd of onlookers, you allowed me to be there for you. As a mother, I reveled in that thought. It was my pleasure to hold and comfort you. It was my delight to protect you from further harm. It was my privilege to keep you as safe as possible. It was my heart that let you go back to what I knew you wanted to do.

My son, God is there for you just the same as I was. He waits for you to come to Him. It is God’s greatest desire to hold you any time you need Him to and even in times when you don’t think you do. Just as I stood on the sidelines of that football field that day watching you play, God watches you as well. As I was ready to come to your aid, even before you called me, so is the Lord. As I desired to protect you from harm, God has sheltered you all your life. Indeed, God is a much better Father than I ever could be as a mother, so if you ever thought I have been a good mother to you, then just think of how incredibly wonderful a Father God is. If you doubt what I say, ask Him in prayer to reveal to you who He is as Father. I promise you, He will show you exactly how very good He can be as a Father to you.

Your football game holds such significance to me as that day, I saw the champion you are. I pray that you see the ways of God in this scenario. Son, you were made to play on God’s team against the enemy. You were born to take up the challenge and win the fight. You were created to battle hard, relish the challenge and win the victory. Injury may cause you to weep and want to step out of the path of danger for a while but your God-given instincts will undoubtedly cause you to get up, brush yourself off and face the field of battle once again. Always rest assured that you are not out there alone. Your Father watches over you to be there for you when you need Him. In fact, the game is rigged so that you are always victorious no matter what enemy or obstacles you face. You win! Your Father has seen to it that no other outcome is available for you except complete victory.