Football can apply to everyday life and no better
way to exemplify this than though penalties that referees call every Sunday
through hand signals.
SAFETY
A safety occurs when a team is tackled in their own
end zone resulting awarding the team doing the tackling two points. The
referee signifies this by putting his palms together above his head, like a triangle.
As a father keeping the family safe should be our number one priority. It is a foregone conclusion that a dad must
provide a safe environment.
HOLDING
This is call is made when one player hinders the
ability of another player to move freely . Usually this occurs by
grabbing and clinging to the opponent and on occasion throwing him to the
ground. The referee signifies this call
by grasping his wrist just below his clenched fist, directly in front of his
chest. In real life it is nice to be held by others and in turn do the same
to others that you love. In essence, it is
necessary to show others you love them by squeezing them.
TIME OUT
This is when the game clock is stopped to give a team a
chance to make a call or slow up the game and re-group. The
referee signifies this call by crisscrossing his hands above his head, like in an
x pattern. Everybody needs a timeout
whether you are a child or an adult. It
provides a moment to reflect and find some peace and quiet and get your act together.
PERSONAL FOUL
This is a reckless action such as face masking an
opponent, helmet to helmet contact, hitting an opponent late or tackling them out
of bounds. This is often referred to as
a cheap shot. The referee signifies this
call with one wrist striking the other above his head. Sometimes this is
followed by an ejection and on occasion a fine from the league depending on the
severity of the blow or incident. Often
in life it is easy to commit a personal foul especially around those we love or
are around the most. This often occurs
when emotions run high and we allow our feelings to bubble up to the surface.
On one such occasion, while in junior high school, I hit a friend with a
monopoly board on the head. Accordingly,
my mom penalized me and banished me to the den for an hour.
PENALTY REFUSED
For strategic
purposes often a football team will not accept the penalty and take the result
of the play instead. The referee signifies this penalty by waving
his hands directly in front of him in a horizontal plane. In life, there is
no better call than to forgive someone who has wronged you. This does not mean
you become a door mat, but rather you release yourself from harboring ill
feeling against you fellow man. Jesus
summed it up best, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
OFFSIDES
This occurs when a player on either team grows
impatient and jumps across the line of scrimmage creating an
unfair advantage. The referee signifies this infraction by placing both hands on his hips. When it comes to life how often do we all get
impatient and tired of waiting either on God or for a situation to clear up and
make it worse by taking matters in to our own hands. Life is all about the timing and often instead
of a quick remark I should be quick to pray and let God deal with it while I
stay on the correct side of the line.
FIRST DOWN
A first down occurs when the offense cross the first
down marker, which is ten yards away from the line of scrimmage, giving the
offense a fresh set of downs. The referee signals this by adamantly pointing his arm toward the defensive team’s goal and saying first down.
In life we gain more first downs than touchdowns. Such as saying and doing nice things for our
family and friends. Doing stuff around
the house, taking the time to read to your kids or play ball with them in the
yard, etc. Remember, in the end often first downs result in
touchdowns.
INTERFERENCE
This occurs when one opponent tries to prohibit the
other player’s right to run a route or catch a pass. The referee signifies this with two open hands extended forward from
his shoulders, like he were two hand touching someone. For some strange reason, at one time or
another, we all seem to gain some pleasure by making others’ lives more
difficult than they need to be, instead of offering to help. Rather than putting others down or making
them feel lesser than us we should strive to lift them up. It has been said, some people are a blessing
when they visit and others are a blessing when they leave.
TOUCHDOWN
This is the most exciting play in football and is
when a player crosses the end zone line and scores six points for his
team. The referee signifies this by raising both hands straight up in the air
like he is trying to touch the ceiling.
In real life, at least for me, a touchdown is marrying your best friend,
seeing your kids embrace your values, denying yourself and taking up your
cross, and helping those who can’t help themselves. Good stuff that matters long term with
eternal significance.
ILLEGAL FORMATION
This occurs when the football is snapped with less
than seven players on the line of scrimmage.
The referee signifies this by
rolling his hands over one another in
front of his body. My youngest daughter
got me to thinking about this infraction the other day when out of the blue she
started yelling “Illegal formation” along with doing the accompanying hand signal. I
used to think this was a dumb rule, however even in sports there need to be a semblance
of order. I once heard this quote, “there
is no right way to do wrong”, no matter the intended outcome.
The best signals we
can show our fellow man is that we care deeply about them and that they are
worth our time.
Swavel
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