Death Crawl

I watched Facing the Giants over the weekend and I have to tell you that I love that movie; it never gets old to me!  The message is fantastic and I usually dust it off and watch it when I am feeling down and defeated. 

 

One of my favorite scenes is the death crawl scene.  I never played football or had brothers so the death crawl was new to me but it's brutal.  A player gets on hands and feet (no knees on the ground) with another player on his back and "crawls" for a specified period of time. 

 

In the scene from the movie the team leader, Brock, is called to do the death crawl to the 50 yard line.  The catch is that the coach blindfolds him.  So, with another player on his back, a slightly cocky Brock takes off with no visibility to his goal, down the field. 

 

His initial motions going forward are easy and his arrogance carries him.  As he continues, though, the going gets very touch.  He cannot see what lies ahead.  He thinks he is close but he doesn't know.  The load on his back which was, at the beginning, known to him and familiar, becomes heavy and hard to bear.   He is frustrated and weak and wants to stop. 

 

By his side is Coach Taylor, down on the ground, screaming encouragement in his ear.  He keeps yelling to Brock, "Don't quit!  Don't quit!"  Brock asks if he has yet reached the 50 and Coach Taylor responds, "Don't worry about the 50!  Keep going!  Don't quit!  Don't quit!" 

 

When an exhausted Brock finally is allowed to fall to the ground, with no strength left, he removes the blindfold and Coach Taylor says, "Look up, Brock, you're in the end zone." 

 

This is often how our life is as Christians.  We move forward in the dark, seemingly headed to nowhere.  Our load becomes heavy; we want to quit; we wonder how much further God is going to require us to go. 

 

Like Brock, however, God, as our coach, is guiding is so much further than we ever aimed to go.  He takes us beyond the 50 yard line, into the end zone, and when we finally look up and see where He has brought us we are overwhelmed, amazed, and grateful for the journey. 

 

Keep going, even if you are weary and cannot see the end.  You can trust your Heavenly Coach.  He has great things planned for you.