I had the opportunity to speak at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Coaching Families Conference on the 11th.th consecutive year. I didn’t realize she had delivered six messages at a conference to college and high school coaches for so long. Coach Jimmy Reeves and his wife Lisa run this conference.
They bring in some notable people who testify at one of the services. This year Ronnie Baynes gave a testimony. He was the high school coach who won state baseball championships and then began officiating football. He went from college to the NFL, where he spent fourteen years on the field as an NFL official, then another twelve years in the NFL front office supervising officials.
Not all coaches have a great appreciation for referees. Ronnie Baynes reminded them that he was also a coach. He had a strong testimony from those coaches.
He told some interesting stories about officiating at the Super Bowl and NFL playoff games. He admitted that referees are human and make mistakes, but he also reminded coaches that sometimes you make mistakes as a coach and sometimes you have a player who makes a mistake.
Making mistakes in life is part of life. The important thing is that we confess our mistakes, ask for forgiveness and try to be better at what we do and make fewer mistakes.
I am very proud that the Auburn and Alabama basketball teams made it to the Final Four. I remember watching the game when Auburn was playing Virginia in the semifinals and had a small lead in the last minute of the game. A Virginia guard lost control of the ball in the backfield, recovered it and began dribbling it again. They scored a basket that ultimately led to Auburn’s defeat. Almost everyone in the stands saw the Virginia guard dribble the ball twice. It was pretty obvious, but it wasn’t changed. Officials make mistakes.
When I finished Seminary, I decided to referee high school basketball. I got my referee shirt and my official patch. My first game was against Beulah and Beauregard, who at the time only played basketball, but they played it thirteen months out of the year! They were bitter rivals. There were so many people at that game that people were literally sitting on parts of the court. I was from Opelika, a few miles away, and most of the fans knew me. Every time he whistled, half the fans didn’t like it. In fact, I refereed two basketball games: the first and the last!
As long as humans participate in sports, there will be mistakes on the part of referees, players and coaches. As long as people are people, we will make mistakes. The Bible is clear that “we all sin and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) The Bible is also clear that: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) The good thing about the Christian faith is that we are not perfect, we are simply forgiven. Because God forgives us, we need to forgive other people.
When attending sporting events, do not yell or criticize the referees. Video replays have shown them to be right most of the time.
Remember, there is a chief referee who one day, after we die, will make the most important decision that will last for eternity: he will not make a mistake and there will be no instant replay. Your decisions in this life will facilitate His decision.
Make sure your final whistle signals a touchdown and not a penalty!
