Running to Win

Rose Bowl. 1929. California versus Georgia Tech. Nothing but two goose eggs on the scoreboard midway through the second quarter. Georgia Tech fumbles the football. California nose guard, Roy Riegles, picks it up, looks ahead, and sees daylight. He fixes his eyes on the end zone and lets loose. The 20. The 15. The 10. The 5. He hears his teammates yelling. He can already taste the glory.

Then at the 3-yard line, one of his teammates catches up with him. Roy realizes that his teammates weren’t shouting to cheer him on. They were shouting to warn him. “You’re going the wrong way, Roy! You’re going the WRONG WAY!” Before Roy can turn himself around, he’s tackled by Georgia Tech players at the one-yard line. California tries to punt. It’s blocked for a safety. Two points go to Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech wins that game by one point, 8 to 7.

Roy had the right intention. He was trying to win. He was trying to get into the endzone. But Roy was heading in the wrong direction. And the right intention lived out in the wrong direction leads to frustration and humiliation. Men, none of us want to get to the end of our lives and hear our family, friends, and co-workers yelling, “You’re running the wrong way! You’ve been running the wrong way the entire time!” Priority One Men’s Ministry exists to help men run the race of life alongside an encouraging band of brothers. It exists to help men run with the right intention in the right direction in the areas that matter most. Come join our team for this transformational adventure! lv.priorityone.org