Fourth Down and One

"To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing." -Unknown

The two teams were in overtime, playing a heated rivalry football game. The score was knotted together at twenty-three to twenty-three with plenty of momentum on one side. The offense had fallen upon a fourth down with less than one yard to go for the first down. The ball was on their own twenty-nine yard line.

Here the easy decision could have been simple, punt and wait for another chance. The hard decision though was to try and go for it. If they made the first down, momentum would have clearly swung their way. If they did not make it, the opposing team would have an easy field goal and win.

The teams lined up, excitement grew as the quarterback barked out the call. Huge men came crashing together trying to outdo the other as the running back took hold of the ball. Into the mix of bodies he went, trying to search out those few precious feet. To no avail, he was stopped short of the first down marker, short of the goal that would allow them to continue.

The opposing team had stopped them on "4th and 1" and went on to kick the game winning field goal. One team victorious and another defeated. All of this drama played out for a mere two or three feet.

Sometimes we get that close to our own goals in life. One, two or three feet is all that seperates us from achievement. As we make our final push to cross over that line, we get pushed back, defeated and rejected. It seems during those few moments that all is lost.

But not all is lost, there is hope, there is strength in knowledge of what went wrong. There is greatness in moving forward and trying again. The obstacles in life we face sometimes get the better of us. Even when we felt we were unstoppable, even when we had the greatest of confidence in our own ability, the opposition will win sometimes.

So you withdraw, replan and then reattack the goal. You jump back into it with new experience and understanding. You keep trying.