Friday night football is so special in American small towns. My family is gathered tonight to watch my nephew Ben play for Heard County High School in Franklin, Ga., where Ben is a senior. His dad is one of the football coaches, his mother a cheerleader coach. My oldest son and his family are coming to the game so I’ll get to see my grandchildren. I always marvel at the families that gather in football stadiums across the heartland supporting the football teams and the marching bands, the cheerleaders, the dance teams. Everyone is proud of their boys and girls for putting their summertime blood, sweat and tears into the practice games, learning the halftime marching drills, the cheers, the dance routines. You can watch the smiles light up the kids’ faces as they find their family in the crowds up in the stands and wave to them. I can still remember how that feels. Ben will have his grandmothers and granddaddies, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, his girlfriend and maybe his brother all watching the game excitedly. And yes, Ben’s team won the game.

Friday night football is an American tradition with deep roots in small southern towns. The games bring people together to socialize and make memories, to foster a community relationship for camaraderie. The student athletes and band members can showcase their talent in performances before family and friends, impacting their chances for sport and music scholarships, making lifetime memories from their high school experience. All of my high school memories revolve around my band experiences. My oldest grandson is enjoying the Friday night football games as much as his grandmother did. I can’t help but tear up when I watch him playing the mellophone, marching in the halftime show.

I read this afternoon that we can relate football games to God by “seeing sports as a metaphor for life’s journey.” Pondered on this and thought, football requires teamwork and sacrifice. Being a Christian involves sacrifice and teamwork with God. Football has rules and the Bible can serve as a rule book for Christians. Football teaches the players grace in winning and losing, just as our faith shows us how to respond with grace to life’s challenges. Maybe we can see competitive sports as metaphors of the spiritual battle between good and evil focusing on building character with a life of faith.

God gives us guidance and teaches us to work together as a team to spread the gospel. Just as a coach trains an athlete, God trains believers to navigate the challenges of life, helping us become more spiritually aware through prayer and scripture reading. “Don’t let the busyness of life push God to the sidelines — He is the very reason you have life,” Simon Dawson.

“The game off life is a lot like football. You have to tackle your problems, block your fears, and score points when you get the opportunity.” — Lewis Grizzard