God's Coaching #4

God's Coaching #4

Think of your most embarrassing moment. Maybe you accidentally called your teacher “Mom.” Perhaps you laughed so hard at a friend’s joke in the lunchroom that milk spurted out of your nose. Or maybe you tripped over your own feet as you were breaking away for the winning goal in a soccer game.

Those are all embarrassing (and the milk thing is a little gross), but probably not a lot of people witnessed your blunder. So can you imagine what it’d be like to be remembered for a mistake you made in front of an entire nation?

During the 1929 Rose Bowl, University of California star Roy Riegels picked up a fumble by Georgia Tech and ran 65 yards in the wrong direction. Instead of running 30 yards into the Golden Bears’ end zone for a touchdown, Roy got turned around and ran the wrong way in front of tens of thousands of people in the stadium and hundreds of thousands listening on the radio. One radio announcer started shouting, “What am I seeing? What’s wrong with me? Am I crazy? Am I crazy? Am I crazy?”

Roy nearly ran into his own end zone, but teammate Benny Lom caught up with Roy and screamed at him to stop. He did—on the three-yard line, where he was quickly tackled. For the rest of his life, he was known as Roy “Wrong Way” Riegels.

What’s the Score?

So what does running the wrong way on a football field have to do with following Jesus Christ? A lot, actually. As you grow up, you might see some of your friends making bad decisions and going the wrong way in life. Maybe they’ll use words they shouldn’t. Maybe their actions will be harmful. As a Christian, you need to care enough to say, “Hey, you’re heading in the wrong direction.”

Benny cared enough for Roy to chase after him and tell him to turn around. That’s exactly what God wants us to do. In the Bible, God commands, “Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters” (1 John 4:21). Sometimes showing love means standing up to a friend who’s making a bad decision. Always try to be a good “teammate,” and encourage your friends to go the right way.

On the Ball

Do you know a friend who says he or she is a Christian but doesn’t act like one? If so, you may want to tell your friend to get moving in the right direction.

Coach’s Comment

He has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters. 1 John 4:21