Especially when it's during an adult league coed soccer game.
Almost every Sunday (well, during the spring and fall coed soccer seasons), my parents and I go to the park to watch my brother and sister play soccer in a league that one would think is all about fun but is honestly often treated more like the finals of the World Cup. I mean, it's pretty intense.
And it's awesome.
I love going. I'm there to watch and cheer on my siblings, but I also have a role of providing audible commentary for the ref and the opposing players.
Yesterday's game was the championship match-up: the Navy Team vs. the Purple Team (there are no team names—they just go by colors). Our team, the Navy Team, has won the title I think five seasons in a row now, so there was a lot on the line. After all, this is pretty serious business.
The first half of the game was rather discouraging as the Purple Team went up 2-0, and the Navy Team players just didn't look like they had it in them to rally a comeback. At halftime, the goalie tried to fire up his teammates by saying, "Come on—we're a second-half team!"
And he wasn't lying.
 |
| They are the champions, my friends |
As time started to tick away (with only about 12 minutes left in the 45-minute half), we notched a goal on a nice cross-field pass. Then a player got a breakaway and scored another. Then we got a third one on a beautiful cross that a player headed in the back of the net at just the right time. This all happened so fast with still about seven or eight minutes to go. It was the type of miracle you usually only see in the movies like in The Little Giants or The Replacements or D2: The Mighty Ducks. Yes, I realize I'm talking about an adult league coed soccer game, but you just can't make this stuff up.
Even after going down two goals early in the game, many of the players on the Navy Team didn't get discouraged, which helped keep the hope on the field alive. Hope is essential—it's what helps push to keep us going when it seems like the best option is to give up.
There will be times in life where you might find yourself trailing and feeling like your dreams are slipping away from you completely. You still haven't gotten that promotion you were expecting; your friends keep getting married and having kids, and you're still waiting for that right person to come along; there's a traffic jam, and you're already stressing out about running late; you fail your first biology test in college, and you are supposed to be a pre-med student; you audition for The Voice but aren't selected to be on anyone's team even though you know you are talented enough to have a record deal eventually; you worked your tail off to get your master's degree in educational administration, yet no one seems to be willing to hire you as an assistant principal; you give so much time and energy in so many areas of your life, yet nothing is happening quite as you expected it would when you hoped it would.
But don't lose that hope.
Our plans don't always pan out as we would like them to, and it's actually a good thing. If we got what we wanted when we wanted all of the time, the world would surely be a messy place. It's honestly better that we have Someone who has a far greater agenda for our lives and works in His own special timing. The best thing for us to do is to trust that we are in safe hands and never to let go of the hope that keeps us pressing on toward those desires in our hearts.
Three goals in a mere matter of minutes isn't impossible by any means; rather, it's something that can be obtained with determination and with the faith that it's not completely out-of-reach. It's these types of moments in life that build character and not only inspire others but also provide an inner inspiration for those directly involved. And it's a beautiful thing to see smiles light up the faces of people who realize that something wonderful just happened when most people thought it wouldn't.
Hope has a way of bringing beauty out of the shadows and shining brightly enough to ignite a fire strong enough to challenge doubt, creating a battle that requires boldness beyond measure.
Spoiler alert: hope wins.
But don't lose that hope.
Our plans don't always pan out as we would like them to, and it's actually a good thing. If we got what we wanted when we wanted all of the time, the world would surely be a messy place. It's honestly better that we have Someone who has a far greater agenda for our lives and works in His own special timing. The best thing for us to do is to trust that we are in safe hands and never to let go of the hope that keeps us pressing on toward those desires in our hearts.
Three goals in a mere matter of minutes isn't impossible by any means; rather, it's something that can be obtained with determination and with the faith that it's not completely out-of-reach. It's these types of moments in life that build character and not only inspire others but also provide an inner inspiration for those directly involved. And it's a beautiful thing to see smiles light up the faces of people who realize that something wonderful just happened when most people thought it wouldn't.
Hope has a way of bringing beauty out of the shadows and shining brightly enough to ignite a fire strong enough to challenge doubt, creating a battle that requires boldness beyond measure.
Spoiler alert: hope wins.
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