By Bill King
Last Saturday, I was traveling, and I did something I did quite often growing up but not much anymore. I listened to a college football game on the radio. It was not just any game but the Southeastern Conference Championship Game. Since 1992, I have seen most of those games. I actually saw that first one at Legion Field, in Birmingham, in person. We almost froze to death on that frigid Saturday afternoon. Since then, I have not been back to see that particular game in person, but I have watched almost all of them on television.
When I was a boy, there weren’t as many televised games as today. Your favorite team was usually only televised once or twice in a season. Fast forward a half century or so, and they are televised almost every week. I may watch more games in a Saturday or two than I watched all season long back then. In those days, we listened to more games on the radio than we do these days.
My dad’s favorite football team was the one that wasn’t playing. I’m not sure he ever watched a game in his entire life. Many times, on Saturdays, I was at his place of business. We had a radio there, but because he didn’t care to listen to the game, I often sat in one of his dump trucks and listened there. I have often remembered those times with fondness as I thought about how much I enjoyed listened to those games. As I listened to that game last Saturday, I realized just how much better it is to be able to see, rather than only listening and seeing though someone else’s eyes. Having someone else to explain to us what they are seeing is better than nothing, but it is no substitute for seeing it for ourselves. Occasionally, you can’t even figure out what is going on until they give more details.
Being able to see, not just a football game but anything and everything, is a gift that comes from God. About ten years ago, I had an eye problem that caused me to have numerous eye surgeries. I am so thankful that my eyesight was saved, but it did cause me to imagine what it might be like to not be able to see. My vision is not great, but I am thankful that I can still see.
One of the most popular Christian songs in recent years is a song by Mercy Me called, “I Can Only Imagine.” There are certain things we have never seen and some things we may never see. We can only imagine them. There are some things we have not seen yet, but one day we will. For the time being, we can only imagine. We are now in the midst of the Christmas season. Our minds may be on a million different things, but please take time to read, hear, and think about the real Christmas story. We weren’t there, but we can hear through the words of those who were. We can imagine what that must have been like as Jesus was born in a strange place, in a stable, and placed in a manger. We have romanticized those scenes, but it probably didn’t look quite as nice as we imagine. No doubt, it didn’t smell so great! But, because he came, we have to the opportunity to see him one day, in his current home in heaven. For the time being, we can read about it and imagine what that will be like.
