He dropped the ball. It was right in his hands and he dropped the ball. I could have caught that pass; most six-year-olds could have caught that pass, but this man dropped the ball. It would have won the game; it would have kept the team in the hunt for a conference championship. But he dropped the ball.
Those of you who regularly read this column know that I’m an Auburn fan — a fact that has produced much angst in my heart this football season.
The other night I was once again expending precious energy trying to help Auburn pull out a crucial victory. With just a minute or so left in the game, my Tigers were down by four points but had marched the ball up to within three yards of the goal line. They had two downs to score and things were looking good. Just three little yards, nine little feet. With a lineup of strong running backs, it should have been a piece of cake.
But they didn’t call a running play – they called a passing play. The quarterback scrambled all over the state of Alabama but finally found a receiver wide open in the end zone. The closest defender was in a different zip code. The man just had to stand there and catch a perfectly thrown, soft pass.
But he dropped the ball.
He had been catching passes like that most of his life, I suspect. I am quite sure that in order to be playing for a team like Auburn, he had a stellar high school career and had good, quick, sure hands.
But not this night. He dropped the ball. Auburn lost the game. Any hope of a conference title hit the dirt with that dropped pass.
After his disastrous mistake, the receiver fell to the ground in utter disbelief and shame and pounded his fists on the turf. I envisioned thousands of Auburn fans doing the same thing in living rooms all over the Southeast.
But after the trauma of it all wore off, I realized, “I’ve been that guy before.”
I’ve dropped the pass. Not in front of thousands of fans, but in front of my family, my friends, my God. I’ve known what I’ve needed to do and I haven’t done it; I’ve chosen the mediocre instead of the best; I’ve spoken harshly when tenderness and compassion were needed; I’ve seen a need and turned away.
How about you? Have you ever failed? Ever wished you could hit rewind and record a piece of life over again? Ever thought, “I’d give anything to go back in time for that hour or those days or those years and do it over again”?
Unfortunately, there really aren’t any “do-overs” in this life. But there are some things almost as good for believers in Jesus Christ:
- The promise that we can start fresh every day. “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23). A clean slate is a wonderful thing.
- The assurance that God can take all our dropped passes and glorious triumphs and weave them into something beautiful. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God …” (Romans 8:28)
If you’ve dropped a few passes lately, take heart. While you are a vital member of the team, you can’t blow the game for God. He is in control; He’s already won. Get up off the ground, brush yourself off and try again. The mercy of God is real and available and recharged every day. Embrace it and let it embrace you.