There was a marked contrast in how Bee and Carl were behaving. Carl was strutting around with a joy based on the fact that his earthly father loved him. They had just gotten back from a long walk in the cold weather. Just the two of them. Then there was Bee. She was clearly annoyed that she had been left behind. No matter how I tried to console her, she was upset and demonstrated it by being domineering. 
Another contrast that I noticed happened last night at the end of one of the most exciting football games I have ever witnessed. The Minnesota Vikings were down by one point and it appeared that the New Orleans Saints were going to move on to the quarter finals. With only one play left and over 61 yards to cover, Case Keenum threw a touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs to win the game.
But it wasn’t the way that Case initially reacted to what happened that caught my attention. Even though many compare how he ran around the field trying to find someone to hug to Jim Valvano when North Carolina State won the national basketball championship in 1983.
It wasn’t even the fact that Case shouldn’t have been the quarterback playing in this game. Being the third in line at the beginning of the season, who would have ever believed that he would be the one throwing the football?
No the contrast came when Case was interviewed to share his thoughts about this moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG2XgL76uwI
He shared how this was the third most important moment after giving his life to Jesus Christ and marrying his wife. Then he walked off. And then what I saw in the background as they moved the cameras off of Case caught my attention.
There was Stefon Diggs reenacting the play that won the game. With photographers all around him, he reenacted catching the ball and running into the end zone.
I can totally relate to what he was doing. I have also tried to recapture that brief joy that comes from doing something incredible. If not physically trying to reenact it, thinking about it and playing it back in my mind and hoping to capture that emotion that came with the initial act.
But I have never been able to experience the same joy that came with the act itself. And that was what stood out to me. Case knew it too. He knew that the throwing of the football was third in his list of priorities.
For all of us, we will have victories (maybe not as spectacular as this one) and we will also have defeats. And as long as we have our priorities in order, we can experience an eternal joy that can only come from a relationship with Jesus Christ.
