He Dropped the Ball

The NFL playoffs are in full swing. Are you even paying attention? The Houston Texans are sitting at home watching the New Orleans Saints and maybe wishing they had drafted Reggie Bush. If you are a fan of the Texans, you have yet to experience the elation of the playoffs.
On the other hand, if you are a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, you are well versed in playoff frenzy. Every year you expect Dallas to go deep into the playoffs and vie for the Super Bowl (maybe you, like a few members in my church expect to win the Super Bowl every year). But… this won’t be their year, as you can now attest. In fact, you may still be wearing black to work every day and may still be in mourning for your beloved ‘Boys. Most fans can’t believe it happened the way it did. For those who don’t know… the Cowboys only needed a very short field goal to defeat the Seattle Seahawks two weeks ago with a few seconds left on the clock. The field goal unit trotted onto the field with little doubt that the kick would win the game and they would move forward in the playoffs. But, something happened on the way to the victory party! Starting quarterback Tony Romo also is the place holder for the kicker. He catches the snap and places the ball down on the ground as the kicker boots it through the uprights. On this particular play, he dropped the ball!!! He has practiced hundreds of times and this hasn’t happened all season, but it happened then… he dropped the ball! He failed to score and the game is history and Seattle moved on to face and lose to the Chicago Bears,
Do you think Tony Romo will be back next year? Will he be cut or traded for his debacle? Do you think they will ever let him hold the ball again… or play quarterback? Can they ever trust him again? I think the Cowboys will move on and forgive Romo and he will continue in his duties. I also think that Romo will bounce back from this failure and he will become a better player in the long run.
Matthew 22:39 says that the second greatest commandment, the first being to love God, is to love your neighbor as yourself. In other words, put yourself in another person’s position. Treat people the way that you want to be treated, love them as you want to be loved. Anyone who saw that football game saw many mistakes by Cowboy players besides Tony Romo. A missed block, a missed tackle, a dropped pass, or even a called play that failed can take some responsibility in the loss. Like many sports, football is a team game where individuals must rely on one another. Life is that way too, when we work together as a team, we can accomplish great things. We forgive the mistakes and give praise for the effort. How would you feel if you had dropped that ball? Some fans may have wanted to kill Romo, figuratively and, sadly literally. But, most fans will forgive and forget. Isn’t that the way you and I want to be treated? I think that is what God wants for His children. Why else would He have commanded it? God loves you!