Fixed on Jesus
It was a brilliant pass. How the left-winger threaded the ball through the bunched up defense in that soccer championship game, I’ll never know. But it was a piece of art, screaming through the sea of legs, about a foot off the ground. Absolutely perfect.
The goalie hung on the left post. The strikers had shifted left and the defense had followed them. I had moved in with the pack, expecting a high lob and an opportunity for a header. The game was tied at one goal each and we had about two minutes to go. This likely was our last chance to score
It was crowded in the middle … too crowded. As I looped back around to cover the right post, I somehow shook my defender. My teammate saw the opportunity open and threaded the pass. Wide open goal. Wide open goal scorer. And a perfect pass. The fans … albeit only a faithful few … jumped to cheer.
In my high school years, when it came to soccer, I was devoted.
Nearly everyday after school I would practice my shots. Ten yards out upper left corner. Twenty yards out slicing to the upper right corner. Over and over and over again. Beating the ball into the side of the house, rattling pictures on the wall in my sister’s room. And then the headers. A minimum of 20 bounces of the ball into the air without it touching the ground and only using my head (which might just have something to do with my balding pate … not to mention an occasional loose screw or two). And crossing passes practiced over and over and over again.
The dedication paid off. I led the league in scoring both my junior and senior years and now at my final high school game, the final exclamation point was about to be made. To ensure the goalie had no chance, I kicked with all my might.
And struck air.
Caught up in the moment, I had taken my eye off the ball.
No contact. No goal. No championship.
But one great life lesson.
In life, particularly in one’s spiritual life, no matter how good you have been, you can never, ever afford to take your eye off the ball.
Daily devotions. Sabbath school lessons studied. Time immersed in the Bible. The reading of awe-inspiring books. Power hymns mightily sung. Faithful church attendance. Day in, day out. Year in, year out. Matter nothing if you take your eye off of Jesus.
Peter warns us that the devil “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour,” someone to take his or her eye off the ball. Keep practicing. Keep focused. And never take your eye off of Jesus. A crown awaits.