Game Day Reflection
Note: This fall I was invited to support the high school I attended as the football chaplain. Most Fridays I attend morning team meetings and offer a blessing after the pep talk. On the days that I cannot attend, I send the coach a reflection and a prayer to be texted to the players. Here is my most recent reflection.
Left to Right: Me, Preston Roby, Coach Stan Labay, Paul Gonzales, and the current head coach of Dobie, Danny Fitzmorris.
The older I get, the more I realize that I can’t control much in the world. I can’t control the weather or the field conditions. I can’t control which way the ball bounces or what another player is going to do on the field. I can’t control what plays the other coaches call or how the refs will call the game.
But I can control one very important thing: ME.
I can control how I show up. I can control how I mentally prepare. I can control my intensity and focus. I can control how I respond to adversity.
I can choose to be a part of the solution. I can choose to lift up my brother when he is down. I can choose to show up in a way that makes my teammates, my family, and myself proud. I can choose to leave everything on the field each day of my life.
I can’t control much, but I can control me.
Prayer
God, this is the day you have made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! Thank you for the breath in our lungs, the brothers next to us, and the hearts that beat in our chests. Today is a good day to be alive!
Be with the coaches today. They have dedicated their lives to shaping young men. Give them wisdom, clarity of mind, and the ability to lead well.
I ask for protection for both teams. I ask for Dobie to be able to play with laser focus and fierce intensity. Help them to play to the best of their ability every second of every minute.
We can’t control which way the ball bounces. But we can control how we show up and how we respond. Today, help us to choose to show up in a way that makes us proud: with accuracy, precision, courage, and tenacity.
We ask these things in your name, Amen!
