Heavenly smile

I was on a plane from Atlanta to Jacksonville and happened to sit next to Tom Coughlin, now coach of the New York Giants, winner of this year’s Super Bowl. I was living in Jacksonville at the time and Mr. Coughlin had just been fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars. I had read that he was applying for a job with the Cincinnati Bengals and I assumed that is where he had been and I asked him about it and whether or not he got the job. He was less than forthcoming about that opportunity, but did smile and was extremely nice and a pleasure to talk to about many subjects. For a man who had just been fired he did not seem particularly down and out and all indications to me were that he was very upbeat, albeit concerned about his future.

As I recall, his record was not bad at all and he had taken the team to the playoffs two years earlier; however the previous year they had done lousy, primarily because of injuries to our star quarterback. The Jacksonville media had been crucifying him for months and portrayed him as a too strict disciplinarian, poor play caller, etc. and they howled for his head. They got their wish and he was fired by the owners and Jack Del Rio became the new coach.

I was watching coach Coughlin basking in the glow of the media after winning the Super Bowl the other night and could not help but wonder how good he must feel, not just in winning the Super Bowl, but in proving his Jacksonville detractors wrong. I was walking down the airport talking to him after we landed and as we approached the security area we could see the media waiting for him. He turned to me with a grim but determined look on his face and shook my hand and told me he had enjoyed meeting me and he walked up to the media and immediately had a microphone stuck in his face for another session with those who helped get him fired. I shook my head and felt genuine sympathy for him as I went on down to baggage claim.

Last year’s Super Bowl winner was coach Tony Dungy. He had a similar experience as coach Coughlin. He had a good record at Tampa Bay, but was fired after a bad season. He joined the Colts and later took them to the Super Bowl and won it and proved his detractors wrong. Both of these men suffered for a while, but went on to win the greatest honor in their professions. Lesser men would have wilted under the pressure.

I recount these men’s stories this morning to reinforce the notion that if you want the rainbow you have to put up with the rain. Life’s storms are replaced by sunny weather only to have another storm move in and so on. I know that God uses those storms to help shape our character. Without storms we would not appreciate the good weather near as much. They are necessary and God allows them to achieve his perfect purpose for our lives.

Too many people want to quit at the first sign of a storm; others cower in fear. If you are in a storm, develop some backbone and hunker down and ride it out. God has promised us that He will never leave our side. Keep your faith and allow Him to draw closer. Soon the sun will come out again and if you will look you will see a beautiful rainbow. When you think about it, viewing a rainbow from heaven must look just like a beautiful smile. That is God’s smile; a heavenly smile. The bible tells us that He will revive us that we may rejoice in Him knowing that all things work together for good for those who put their faith and trust in our almighty God.

Psalm 84:11
For the Lord our God is a sun and
shield;
The Lord will give grace and
glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk
uprightly.