Ernie.

Tonight my parents and I watched The Express, a movie about Ernie Davis.  Ernie was the first African-American to receive the Heisman Trophy, a very prestigious award given to college football players.  I don't really follow football all that well, especially not college football.  I'm both a Packers and a Bears fan, which some claim is impossible.  (Reconciliation is my aim, people.  Don't judge.  It is possible.)  I'm more of a Chreaster kind of a football fan: the Superbowl & the Packers vs. Bears games are about all I make an effort toward, kind of how some people do church.  Christmas and Easter are the big days.

Anyway, I was kind of disappointed when it came in the mail.  I was like, "Did Netflix make a mistake?  Who ordered this stupid football movie?"  Take one guess. 

And you might guess my dad, being that the male to female ratio in our house is 1 to 7, including the dogs.  But you'd guess wrong!  It was totally my mom!  Crazy woman!  I don't know what she was thinking.  I mean, there's only so many football movies I can handle: Remember the Titans, Radio, The Blindside, Little Giants, and Waterboy have fulfilled my lifetime football movie quota.

But, I watched The Express anyway.  I kept thinking, "This is like a remake of Remember the Titans, minus my beloved Denzel Washington.  And, in the middle of the movie, they aren't happy to be together."  There is not really a buddy-buddy attitude coming from any of the boys on that team, and I felt uncomfortable.

Even though it was a fictional movie, I was so encouraged by Ernie's perseverance.  He was knocked down, and mistreated so many times in that movie, and he kept moving forward  He wasn't a pushover though, nor a doormat.  He had a quiet strength that was neat to watch.  He worked hard, and he was humble.  After being humiliated over and over again (and his teammates not DOING anything about it), he continued to push through and do his best.  It was a really cool movie.

When his team was at the Cotton Bowl, Texas was their opponent.  The guys on Texas' team were cheating left and right, as were the ref's.  I was so enraged!  Like, seriously, I haven't felt that angry in a long time.  And this is a movie we're talking about.  It was like watching the definition of "injustice" on a screen.  They ended up winning the Bowl, thank goodness, I would have quit watching if they had lost because it would have been too painful.  It was after this game that he won the award.

The president at the time, (JFK) said this to him when he won:

"Seldom has an athlete been more deserving of such a tribute. Your high standards of performance on the field and off the field, reflect the finest qualities of competition, sportsmanship and citizenship. The nation has bestowed upon you its highest awards for your athletic achievements. It's a privilege for me to address you tonight as an outstanding American, and as a worthy example of our youth. I salute you."

 Maybe it was for some political gain, and maybe JFK didn't even know who Ernie even was.  But I think he meant what he said, and I think he did truly value Ernie's character.  What a high honor to be addressed by the president in that way.

Two years later Ernie died of Lukemia.  I cried like a baby.  He never got to play a professional game, even though he was drafted by the Redskins & traded to the Browns.  He was 23.

It got me thinking tonight about what God might say to me when my life comes to an end.  Not that I want him to say "Why Catie, you reflected the finest qualities of competition and citizenship...you were an outstanding American ..."  I certainly do not want a trophy.  But I do so long to hear him say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!"  I want my Heavenly Father to be proud of me, and glad for the perseverance I had while I was alive.  I most long for him to say that I loved others well, I lived by grace, and that I applied the things I knew I needed to.

If I were to encounter the amount of injustice Ernie had, I don't know that I could have done it with as much forgiveness and grace as he did.  I fail often, and I do not encounter anywhere near the things he did.  When it comes down to it, having to persevere in the face of many great things, I have to remember to fix my focus on Jesus, and remember that my life is solely for him.  For his gain, his glory, and his purposes.