The Reason

Ok, so it's 11:37 pm on Christmas Eve. I'm watching midnight Mass from the Vatican and had probably enough scotch to put most adults in Scotland asleep under the table, so what better time than now to write a blog post-right? So here we go...

Twenty- three years ago on the 23rd of December my sweet mother left this earth. Today I have a father who is in a nursing home suffering from the effects of multiple strokes that has taken away his ability to move, communicate and think independently, which is extremely difficult for a guy who was an incredible athlete in his day given the hand he was dealt, not to mention those who have seen his decline over the years. Not gonna dwell on that now, but suffice to say that his passion for his sport was something that most athletes these days haven't even begun to scratch the surface of.

To millions of people around the world, this is the night that their Savior was born. However, you have some people saying that we/they are all duped and that He was born in the spring, summer, whenever but that we are celebrating something that is actually a pagan holiday that was the used to help convert people to Christianity. To that I say this, were you there? I wasn't and I'll bet you weren't either so what's the big deal? If He was born on December 25, April 1, September 25...does it really matter?

The answer is a resounding Nope. Because whatever day He was born on doesn't matter. What matters is that He was born. He was born, lived and died for us, and for that we are eternally (literally) thankful and blessed.

So my sweet mother, who never got to see her grandkids, will be able to be reunited and meet her kids and grandchildren one day because of Him who we are celebrating His birth today. My father, who is suffering will have eternal life free from his incapacities because of He who we are celebrating the birth of. Does it really matter what exact day or time He was born matter?? No. All that matters is that He was made man by the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit by God the Father.

Now, you're probably saying- hey yo Commish, you're getting a little deep here, this is where we read about sports and pizza or watch Porterhouse talk about how the Jackets are gonna beat the crap outta some team. Let me say this, it all comes together.

Here's how. I, along with millions of others, have FAITH and BELIEVE that today is the day Christ the Lord was born. Faith and belief is all it takes. I have faith and I believe. Now then, how does this apply to what we usually see here.

We here at the SofaKing have faith and believe in our teams. Obviously, it's a different type of faith and belief but nonetheless it is faith and belief. Read that again just so you get the point.

I/we believe in our athletes. We know that there will be times that the challenges they face will be difficult and that victory will not always be the outcome. But we have faith that they will put their best effort forward, and that is all that we can ask for. Hopefully, our athletes know that they have ardent supporters behind them who want nothing but the best for them and believe and have faith in them -win or learn (remember that there is no such thing as losing).

The belief and faith we have in He whose birth we are celebrating is absolute. He is, was, and always will be as we have been taught that way by His Father simply telling us "I Am".

Pope Francis just said that Jesus is love alone and that is the power that brings us all together. We love our families, we love our friends, we love our teammates and as silly as it seems to say right now, we love our Jackets.

We have a bond together that holds us to one another, and that bond can be found in many different ways, particularly by relationships. Relationships that can be defined by family, denomination, membership of a team and so on.

In the long run, does it matter when that bond was created or does it matter that the bond WAS created? My money is on the creation of that bond and I hope that's what matters to you as well.

Yes, we will celebrate the beginning of that bond but let's not lose sight of the bond itself. Let us take advantage of that bond and let it spur us to do great things, not just on the field, court , mat or wherever. And also, let the acknowledgment of that bond allow us to realize that there is more to life than scores when the time on the clock has expired because there is One who came before us and paid the ultimate sacrifice for us.

We are so fortunate to live in a world that we currently live in. We are fortunate for our family, friends, teammates and fans. My wish for you is to realize and appreciate the fortunes. Not just those that are tangible, but also those that are apparent through faith.

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder , and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Lift up your hearts to the Lord and also to those around you. Have faith and believe in one another because today we celebrate He who is the reason. Not the date but rather the Gift that none of us can ever expect to repay but will and are grateful for receiving.