put me in coach.....

Oh, put me in coach, I'm ready to play today
Put me in coach, I'm ready to play today
Look at me, I can be centerfield -

John Fogerty "Centerfield"

You ever been "benched"?

I have stated before I have never been the athletic type, or played sports much.  However, I can remember plenty of times in P.E. at school fellow students NOT wanting me on their team or if I did get on the team them NOT wanting me to have play time.  I stunk, I mean really stunk bad.  But still, having to sit out of a game, it was Not a good feeling.

Different scenario, lets say your good.  No, lets say your one of the regular starters, and the coach says to you that he is benching you for an indefinite period of time.  That's definitely not a good feeling.  Sitting on the sidelines, wanting in the game so bad you can't stand it.  Heart racing, head thumping, and foot tapping; asking the coach over and over, how bout now?  Can I go in now?  Coach!  Coach, can you hear me? Coach are you listening?  Coach why can't I go in?????

You sit back and you see all the others players in, and you wonder to yourself:  Am I just not good enough to play anymore?  Did I do something to get benched?  You think and you know you have been to every practice, been diligent on drills, studied the playbook, and done everything coach asked.  Then you look at the coach and say:  "Coach, give me another chance, please put me in"...

^6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. ^7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

^8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. ^9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”  (Lk 13:6-9., NIV)

 

A fig trees sole purpose is to produce figs, without doing so it's just a tree.  In this parable Jesus tells of a gardener that has put time and effort into this fig tree, but yet it has produced nothing (it's just sitting on the bench).  Then verse 8 comes along, "leave it alone for a year".  In other words, give it another chance.  The gardener says not only will he take care of it, but he says he will fertilize it, nourish it, or give it exactly what it needs to fulfill its purpose.

 

God is a God who gives second chances.  We all need to be pulled out and benched periodically to get perspective and gain nourishment.

 

So God (Coach) give me a second chance, and put me in coach I'm ready to play, today....

 

Chris