Remember the Buffalo Bills in 1993 ?

Believe it or not, I remember the Buffalo Bills' monumental comeback of January 3, 1993. Not that I watched it, mind you. I remember it because one of my sons is a Bills fan. I also remember it because many of the disgruntled fans made their exit at half time and found themselves in the parking lot when the cheering started.

This is not going to be a challenge to stay until the game is finished; although it would provide an excellent analogy. Rather, it has to do with why some were not even watching at all that day; and why, when they heard about it, they felt no particular regret at having missed it. That is, why do some get more excited about relatively un-followed sports while the crowds line up for the "big ones" and beat their head against the wall if they miss out on the big moments. It is not an effort to identify some kind of sports-fan superiority. One's choice of athletic interests is hardly a sign of character ranking or spirituality. Each provides its own life-lessons to ponder. Here is one for the small-game enthusiast.

One cannot help picking up the distinct impression from Scripture that the "big events" of history are not necessarily the real, life-defining moments which will be highlighted when the confetti of celebration is swept out of the stands. The fans who quietly pursue their own interest in the lesser known and un-hyped events can become a paradigm for a quest to find great-life moments in the unheralded stories of men and women, boys and girls who struggle on outer courts of life. Which, by the way, is why a few are even more interested in the first contests leading up to the final hurrah. In tennis, many of those matches are played to empty seats.

In the long run, whether it be tennis, football or a Sunday morning praise team, the value of a championship and the value of a performance is to be found after the contestant/performer leaves the field or steps down from the stage. That is where life is lived and that is where lives touch lives. It would be interesting to know the stories of the also-rans at Melbourne and how they are translating their moment of limited fame into something of worth which touches real lives in real places in the real world. It would be interesting to know who will remember their names long after the name of that year's big winner will have to be Googled to be remembered.

If you feel like an early-out player in life, don't buy your analysis. If you evaluate your role in terms of the "big game," readjust your perspective. You may not play to a crowd and there may be no ticker-tape parade for your contribution to history; but I am convinced from Scripture that your service for Jesus Christ will be recognized in ways no man-made celebration can beat.