Pussy cat or WILDCAT?

Feb

03

2011

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Feb

03

2011

I went quail hunting with a friend the other day and it was a cold day and I was feeling a little frisky. We were standing around talking and for some reason I went over and bucked up against him like a Sumo wrestler nearly knocking him down. He is smaller than me but he didn’t just take my picking on him in stride, and in fact he immediately bucked right back at me like a feisty little dog. He told me not to mess with him that he was a Valdosta WILDCAT. He then went on to tell me that his high school football team was legendary and had won more state championships than anyone else through the years. (My buddy is so old I was impressed that he could even remember high school.)

I looked at his diminutive size and sarcastically asked if he was the one responsible for winning all of those state championships. He defiantly replied, “Well no, but we did win the state championship when I was a senior in high school and I was on the team, but hey I’m a WILDCAT through and through and we’re number one.”

I have another friend who is as obnoxious about his football team as anyone that I know; I’ll call him “obnok” for short. He likes the college football team, Alabama. He didn’t even go to Alabama but you would never know it by the way that he brags about Alabama and derisively tells everyone, “WE are going to slaughter your team this weekend”. This guy never played football in his life and is as uncoordinated as a jellyfish. He is so short and overweight that if he went into a three point stance he would probably tip over and never be able to get back up again, and yet he loudly brags to anyone who will listen as though he is a nine feet tall all-pro defensive end.

It is quite the phenomenon to see football fans gather to watch their teams. They paint their faces to look like monsters, dye their hair purple or red, and go without shirts in freezing cold temperatures like true tough guys. They pound on the sides of the stadium and curse and throw snowballs at opposing players that could squeeze the life out of their scrawny little necks with one hand.

Have you ever wondered how someone who during the week is a mild mannered, meek office worker pussy cat can be transformed into a WILDCAT when the football team they like is merely mentioned? Where does this courage come from?


It is an interesting phenomenon to me and raises another question in my mind. I was thinking of the Apostles when Jesus was arrested and how they all ran away and locked the door and hid like a bunch of cowards and denied even knowing Jesus. This after living with our Lord and seeing Jesus perform miracles including healing lepers, giving sight to the blind, healing the paralytic, feeding the five thousand, raising the dead, and watching Him walk on water, and seeing the wind obey Him and stop raging upon His command. This all changed in an instant after Jesus appeared to them after His resurrection, these same men then became fearless spreading the Gospel all over the world and to a person died a martyr’s death. This has always been a tremendous boost to my faith. One minute they were cowards in hiding and the next after seeing Jesus raised from the dead began boldly proclaiming Jesus is God.

I have heard people say for years that they could not witness to others for Christ. I believe we all have the wherewithal to do this. We just need to unlock the gate to our courage. If we can summon up the courage to fanatically support our favorite football team, we can do likewise for our Lord and Savior. Be like Clark Kent and change into your Superman suit at your next witnessing opportunity. Don’t be like “obnok” and get in someone’s face, but be happy for the opportunity to tell someone about the Lord that you love so much and it is all right to even be a WILDCAT with your enthusiasm.

Matt. 28:16
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

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