On the very first play of my college career, I was on the kickoff coverage team at the University of Northern Colorado and we were playing in our first home game.  I had never been a “darter” on a kickoff team as I was usually the safety on our kickoff coverage in high school……

Sometimes a little experience really helps……..

At a full tilt sprint to get to the ball I found myself in a train wreck.  I saw a quick speck of a blue helmet out of my left eye and the next thing I knew I was on the ground.  In football terms—-we say a guy gets “ear-holed” when he is hit from the blind side….possibly because of the fact that he is looking out the ear hole of the helmet as he lays on the ground.

I got “ear-holed”.

One of the things I love about the game of football is the accountability piece…..you don’t always win, you don’t always make the tackle, you don’t always win the hits.

The game requires that you get up after getting knocked down.  You can’t play if you aren’t willing to get up and get back in the fight.

And so, on that day in that play, I had to get up after getting drilled.

But that was not the end of it.

The real pain came on Sunday night in Butler-Hancock Hall.  You see, that was when we all (all of the team and coaches) got to watch it as we reviewed game film.

As one of my assistants always says:  “The Eye In The Sky Don’t Lie”

Watching me get knocked down looked a lot worse than I thought it would.  And I had to explain to my coach, in front of my team, why I was not paying attention and doing my job……

It was humiliating.

When I connect what happened that day to this verse:

2 Corinthians 5:10   For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

I am terrified.

And after coaching for many seasons, I have come to know several things:

  • We never think we look as bad as it looks on film.
  • Our mistakes, when viewed from above, are magnified.
  • When someone else looks at our dirt, it is humiliating.

Now…think about those three things on the spiritual level.

And so here we are…..in front of the Lord…….appearing before the Judgment Seat of Christ…..facing the one man in the universe who NEVER sinned.

 

He was born into the world illegitimate, ignored, mistreated, and accused.

And when He couldn’t be tempted or discouraged or controlled….

They cheated Him and beat Him and accused Him and mocked Him and spit on Him and nailed Him to a cross between two thieves…..

And He still……did not sin.

And so when I stand before Him and let Him “watch my film”—I am terrified.

But that’s the bad news…..Here is the good news:

We can actually be forgiven.  Not kind of forgiven.  Not overlooked.  But welcomed with open arms AS IF WE HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG.

So welcome to the place where the God of the Universe gives you the opportunity to choose your own adventure….you have freedom.  You can choose to stand before that judgment seat and tell Him that it didn’t look THAT BAD.  (Good luck)

Or you can bow down before Him and receive His free gift of grace.

I choose Jesus…….I choose the one who took the nails and auctioned off His own life that I might get a second chance.

And I do it……..every single day I get out of bed.

Please join me in pursuing the greatest prize the world has ever seen……The God of Grace!

In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

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Coach J