HMM!.... You Can't Play Football Because You ARE A GIRL!

As soon as the bell rang, I darted out to the playground. As I began to make the b-line to where the girls were playing, I stopped in my tracks. The girls were jumping rope or braiding hair to the right of me, and to my left were the boys lining up to play football. So many times, I chose to play with the boys, but they never picked me. They would say, "You are a girl. You can't play football."

This day, I decided to try it again, to play football. As I walked over, I could feel them staring at me. When I crossed the transition line from the basketball court to the football area, they all said, "Why are you here? You are a girl. Girls don't play football." as one shoved me. I smirked and responded,?"Girls can do anything they want, including play football."??

The two team captains ignored me as they began calling names for their teams, Johnny, Bill, Smith, and so on. When the last two slots were up for grabs, the boys realized there were only two of us, one other boy and me. I laughed inside as they looked at the other boy and me. One of the main players was out sick. The team captain never called my name but motioned for me to come on as he shook his head as he had the last pick. Once he motioned to me, I could hear my grandmother saying, "The first shall be last, and the last shall be first," one of her favorite scriptures.

I told them I wanted to be the quarterback as they discussed positions. Girls don't play football, so you can't be the quarterback, they shouted. When the captain looked around, he realized the quarterback was missing. He looked around and felt he would lose anyway, so he conceded.

As he set up the first play for me to throw a long pass to the wide receiver, he stood in the huddle, shaking his head.

As we got into position, "Ready set Hut Hut.". I grabbed the ball from the center, took two steps back, planted my feet, and let the beautiful spiral float in the air, landing in the wide receiver's hands! Touchdown! I won't bore you with all the details, but needless to say, we won, and I became the quarterback! Yes, and I am a girl. Girls can play football!

This taught me so many lessons, but the one that sticks with me today. I may not get Called, but I am Chosen!??

See, the boys could only see my gender. They never asked me why I wanted to play. They just shut me down. If they had, they would have learned that I ran NFL plays every day after school with my boy cousins in the backyard. I always played quarterback because I had the best arm, and they didn't want me to play a role where I could get tackled. They knew my parents and the other elders in the family would kill them if they tackled me and I got hurt. I had been training for this moment. I was already Chosen by cousins and the neighborhood boys in my grandmother's backyard. I was equipped for the call!?

In life, we all have stories like this... where we weren't chosen or picked last, or waved on... to this day, they never called your name... never picked you for some silly reason like being a girl, but You are Chosen because God has called you to do what you do. When things get tough, there is no one else, or when you get your chance, they will see you were already chosen for the call! You will be in the right place to show them all of your glory at the right time!

Keep going. It's okay if they don't call your name; God knows your name! You have already been Chosen for greatness! Stay encouraged!