March 22, 2023
by Reverend Dan on March 22, 2023I was channel surfing one recent evening and came across the movie “Forest Gump.” I came in at the scene where Forest was running from the boys in the truck and the braces were coming off his legs as he ran. And there was Jenny was in the background urging him on. “Run, Forest, Run!” If you’ve seen the movie, you know Forest had to overcome a lot and it was his willingness to persevere and keep running that took him many places.
A number of years ago, on Monday night football the Chicago Bears were playing the New York Giants. The late Walter Payton was still playing at that time, and one of the announcers observed that the Bears running back had accumulated over nine miles in career rushing yardage. To which the other another announcer replied, “Yeah, and he did it with someone knocking him down every 4.6 yards!”
Even Walter Payton, for a period the leading rusher in the history of the NFL, knew that everyone – even the best – get knocked down. A lot. But I wonder what would happen if we all looked at getting knocked down in the race of life like Walter Payton did: as a chance to get up and try again. To start over. Often, it’s the attitude with which we choose to live our lives that determines our destiny. We can choose to stay down when life knocks us to the ground, or we can get up and start over. We can get up and start running again.
Near the end of his life Paul writes to Timothy with pride at having finished his race, and he urges Timothy to “run with perseverance the race God has laid out for you.” Walter Payton kept running no matter how many times he got knocked down and look where it got him: the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For that matter, Forrest Gump kept running, and look where it got him.
That’s all I have to say about that.
backA number of years ago, on Monday night football the Chicago Bears were playing the New York Giants. The late Walter Payton was still playing at that time, and one of the announcers observed that the Bears running back had accumulated over nine miles in career rushing yardage. To which the other another announcer replied, “Yeah, and he did it with someone knocking him down every 4.6 yards!”
Even Walter Payton, for a period the leading rusher in the history of the NFL, knew that everyone – even the best – get knocked down. A lot. But I wonder what would happen if we all looked at getting knocked down in the race of life like Walter Payton did: as a chance to get up and try again. To start over. Often, it’s the attitude with which we choose to live our lives that determines our destiny. We can choose to stay down when life knocks us to the ground, or we can get up and start over. We can get up and start running again.
Near the end of his life Paul writes to Timothy with pride at having finished his race, and he urges Timothy to “run with perseverance the race God has laid out for you.” Walter Payton kept running no matter how many times he got knocked down and look where it got him: the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For that matter, Forrest Gump kept running, and look where it got him.
That’s all I have to say about that.
