Humility of the Missed Kick

Watching the Super Bowl is always an exciting event, and, with the whole world looking on, this year’s game was one of the highest-rated programs in history. With that many people watching, players are really put under a microscope. Millions of people are watching their every move, and opinions can be formed about the players in the blink of an eye.

This year, something pretty special caught my eye during, and it definitely left an impression on me. Early in the fourth quarter the Colts stalled and were forced to attempt a pretty long field goal that would have added to their lead. There was a great snap, a good hold and what looked like a good kick from Matt Stover. Unfortunately for Stover and the Colts, the kick ended up just left of the upright.

Now, missed 50-yard field goals are not uncommon, but what Stover did after he missed the field goal was very uncommon. When they showed the replay of Stover’s reaction to the missed the kick, the world saw him pointing to the sky. When I saw that I thought that he must have thought it went through the goalposts. I thought, “How embarrassing. The guy was celebrating too early and didn’t realize he missed the kick.” Turns out I was wrong. The announcer then commented about how Matt points to the sky after every kick of his, good or bad.

When I heard that I was absolutely floored. How many times have we seen athletes point to the sky after something good happens? This man was pointing to the sky after something BAD happened, and that really struck me as unique.

The Lord has blessed so many of us with great minds to go to school, great families, and great abilities to play sports, but how many of us constantly think about where those abilities come from? How many of us give credit to God when we do something good on the field? I know that I don’t do that often enough, and it is a shame. God has graciously blessed us with so many gifts. Who are we to think that we deserve any credit for them? God could take them away in a minute, and, if He did, would we be okay with that? Would we feel embarrassed because we are no longer “good” at something, or would we humbly accept what God has done and continue serving Him?

I say this because in the midst of the biggest game in football, Matt Stover showed such a great example of humility. God encourages us to not be boastful or cocky, but instead remain humble in all that we do. It is encouraging to see a professional athlete step back and recognize what is truly important in life, and I hope that each and every one of us can do the same.