The End Zone

Posted by: Christy @tatershell

You have to want it more, to get into the end zone. Photo by Todd Van Emst

 Some people may not agree or like everything in this blog. I am truly just sharing my heart and feelings here, so I do not at all want to start any back and forth or anything.

 I know this topic can be sort of questionable, but I truly believe in praying for the players. I know, I know, sometimes it can get a little 'squidgy' when we are praying for something that someone else is praying the opposite of.

 What I mostly want to pray for is the players themselves. Last year, I felt that the players had a heavy weight on them. I asked a few people to pray with me. I truly felt as if God urged me to pray for them as PEOPLE. Trust me it was much harder to be annoyed by a player's performance if I had been praying for that player that week!

  We worked out a rotation schedule based on the players numbers. If we found out something good had happened to one of the players, we would share it with one another. For instance, one or two of the players professed Christ. Another might have made a good grade on a test. 

  For the longest time, I felt like prayers were not really being answered. I trusted that my fellow praying partners were holding up their end and praying for their players.  It seemed like the hits kept coming. Jay's mom died. Coach Chizik's mom died. The young man that was a student assistant died.  I remember asking God were the prayers in vain. It surely didn't seem like the prayers were helping.

 Jay Prosch lost his mother. He could have quit after last season. He did not. God has used this young man in amazing ways. God took a young man who lost his mom to cancer, then had a football season unlike any other in recent memory and turned him into an unstoppable force on the field. He is also a leader on this team.

 I should have known better. God said wait.

 The day after Coach Malzahn was hired, I remember meeting my carpool at 6:20 and seeing the most beautiful rainbow I had EVER seen in my life. Later in the day, a rainbow appeared over Jordan-Hare.  I will admit, I did not really keep up the praying. I prayed for them periodically but not nearly as regular.

 Our friend Klell was one of my prayer partners.  I think I told him after the Texas A &M game that God had spoken to me about the prayers last year.  I felt that God was telling me, 'Your prayers are never in vain, no matter how small. This season, God has said, 'Let me show you what I can do.'

 We've seen Shon Coleman return to the field after CANCER. Nothing is impossible with God.

 We've seen TWO crazy endings to games. We've had a team fight and win games with a quarterback that was thrown away from another team. We have a running back who is making a difference who was thrown away by another team or at least put in the back of the pantry.

  I mentioned in my blog after the Georgia game how much I love the movie Facing the Giants. I used the quote "A miracle has occurred here tonight!"

  
 There is a scene in that movie where the coach has a player death crawl blindfolded with another player on his back. The coach asks him to go to the 50 from one end zone. He blindfolds the player. He pushes him.

 "Don't give up until you have nothing left!"

The player continues. He tells the coach it hurts. He can't do anymore. Finally, he drops.

"I gotta be at the 50."

"Look up, Brock. You're in the end zone."

 This team has worked. They have fought. They have prevailed. They have trusted the coach. They have healed. Maybe they aren't completely healed, but they are healing. They have pushed and pushed when they weren't sure where they were or where the coach was taking them.

 Our players are working to get into the end zone. We want, and they want a little more.  Sometimes, our prayers are answered in a way that is better than we can imagine. He might say, 'not right now' or it may seem like the answer is no, or we are simply being ignored. 

 Look up, Auburn. You are streaking toward the end zone. How bad do you want it?