Coming off the bench...

Tonight I had the opportunity to go and watch a Timbers game. Now, it's not that the game is so unusual, I get many opportunities to go and watch games. What made tonight unusual, is that many of their regular players didn't play, rather, many players came off the bench.

Names I had never heard of, players I couldn't recognize. It was an unusual kind of game, cheering for players who I didn't know, looking around the field trying to identify players skills and the current combination of positions being played. Cheering when goals were scored, cringing when fouls were called.

It made me think about the times in our own lives when we come off the bench. We may be the ones along the sidelines, practicing for our big day, never knowing when that might come. We will all be called on...be asked to step forward and perform at the big show.

Coming off the bench requires us always to be ready. We prepare, play our game, know that we may never hear our name heard. We have the skills required, we have put the work in, but we are not the one why is typically called...for reasons we may or may not understand. What we do understand is that we are always at the ready...always available...coming off the bench means we are still part of the team, still can work to make it happen.

Coming off the bench means we have a job...and that job, is important. We are ready.