Life lesson from the game of football
Published 11:45 pm Friday, August 17, 2012
A few years ago, Dr. Nemour “Steve” De Laneuville, a native of Reserve, published a book about Leon Godchaux High School’s football teams of the 1950s titled “Leon Godchaux High School Football: The 1950s Greatest Teams.” He referred to the 1952, 1955 and 1958 teams as the best of that decade. Dr. De Laneuville, quarterback of the 1955 team, shares his memories of each team.
The book is about the game of football; however, in his closing remarks he shares the following about the responsibility we each have in the game of life:
Rules of the Game
In the game of life, I am giving you the football and naming you the quarterback for the team. As your coach, I will help you develop physical, mental, moral and spiritual strength.
There is only one game on the schedule, but it will last your entire life. It will be a very difficult game with no timeouts and no substitutions. Throughout your life, you will play the entire game.
As the quarterback, you will call the plays and you will have a great backfield to work with. The other athletes in the backfield with you have great reputations. They are Faith, Hope, and Charity.
As the team leader, you will be operating behind a very powerful line, end to end; it consists of Honesty, Loyalty, Compassion, Responsibility, Perseverance, Self-Discipline, and Good Behavior.
Almighty God is the referee, and He is the one and only official on the field. There are 10 rules which you recognize as the Ten Commandments, and you play the game of life according to them. There is also an important ground rule: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”
When you cross the Goal Line and score a Touchdown, the End Zone is the Pathway to Paradise, and the Goal Post is the Gate to Heaven.
Here is the football. It is your eternal soul! Guard it carefully. Now, get on the field and into the game of life, and let’s see what you can do with it.
If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 985-652-8477, or email hkeller@comcast.net.
