Get High On Life
Published 12:00 am Saturday, January 6, 2001
Harold Keller
Theres much more to life than football – as God can fill any life
Most of us can emphathize with a hungry child staring at an empty plate – a thirsty person having only an empty glass – a motorist stranded in a remote area with an empty gas tank. A sad situation also can be a young preacher discouraged by an empty church. How about that empty feeling after all your children have gone?
The key word in all the situations mentioned is “empty.” Empty means containing nothing; not filled; vacant; unoccupied; destitute of reality or substance; hollow; vain.
I once read that most peoples activities are a cheap anesthetic for an empty life. An empty life – destitute of reality or substance.
I have to admit that a big part of my adult life was empty. I looked in all the wrong places to fill a void in my life. I am reminded of an old saying, “Unhappiness is not knowing what you want and killing yourself to get it.”
This weekend indicated to me how empty many people really are. No, it was not the ending of an old year and the beginning of a new one that got my attention. It was a football game. You guessed it! The Saints game against the Rams.
The Saints have finally won a playoff game. Jim Haslett should be voted “Coach of the Century.” Hes done an outstanding job! (Never mind that at the beginning of the season, he said hed make a deal with the devil to give six years of his life to win the Super Bowl.) A month or so ago, he said something to the effect: Wed lie, steal and cheat to win a game.
A successful life? Yes. An empty life? Maybe. How about the fans? Sunday, one headline read: “The Curse is Over.” Another read: “At last.” Theere was a picture of Ava Kay Jones performing a voodoo ceremony with her South American boa. Im sure that was responsible for lifting the so-called curse.
And, finally, Mondays headline read: “A City United.” (The murder rate in this so-called united city has climbed to 205, which is up 26 percent from the year before.)
To top all this, letters were published by some Saints fans expressing their joy over the game. One fans quote was: “The greatest day of my life.”
As the seconds were ticking off, marking the first Saints playoff victory, the radio announcer said, “We now know there is a God.” Im sure God used a fumbled punt return that ensured a Saints victory to reveal Himself to the world.
Did I enjoy the game? Yes. I was happy that two of my sons-in-law and two grandsons, who are Saints fans, were in the crowd. Will I look at the Viking game this Saturday? Yes. I just thank God that He has filled my life with much more than a victory in a football game.
HAROLD KELLER writes this column as part of his affiliation with the Get High on Life religious motivational group. Call him at 652-8477.
