Tonight I watched two different football teams play against Ohio State. They had a lot in common—both wore the Nebraska Cornhusker uniforms. Both were made up of the Nebraska Cornhusker football players. Both had the same coaches. But they played very differently. The team which played in the second half was better.
But that’s not what this post is about. In Proverbs we are told: “He who answers before listening, that is his folly and his shame” (Proverbs 18:13, NIV). In other words, if you speak before you listen you’re a fool.
I have to say I feel a bit like an illustration of this tonight. I found myself very frustrated at Taylor Martinez (he comes from Corona, where I live—which probably made me even harder on him) and especially on All-American Jared Crick (some will find it funny that Donna thought the announcer said “Jared Prickett”—email if you don’t understand the joke:-)). What happened to him? What’s his problem? Doesn’t he know he is a CORNHUSKER and they don’t play that way?
Well, even the critical announcers did a better job than I did of listening. One of them reported on the fact (of which I was aware, but wasn’t thinking of) that Crick suffered a head injury in the Washington game and hasn’t really healed yet.
The guy is playing hurt, and I (along with most of Cornhusker land) am yelling at him. The fact is, playing hurt, he’s still better than any others—he just isn’t up to his own standard. Frankly, I’m not such a rabid fan (believe it or not) that I would yell at a guy playing hurt.
So why did I?
Because I was acting like a fool (per Proverbs 18:13), speaking without first listening.
Well, it’s only football right?
I wouldn’t do that with anything else in life, right?
in Christ,
Randy Christian
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