Parable of the Day: A Teenager Lived Alone with His Father

A teenager lived alone with his father, and his father would support him in everything he did, from high school to college.

A single father did his best to raise his son. He made an effort to support his child in everything he did. He would always go to his son's football games, even though the teenager only ever sat on the bench.

Despite not playing, his father would be cheering with the crowd every Saturday, starting from his son's first year of high school. His son was small but thought maybe as he got older and grew, he would eventually play a game.

The teenager was enthusiastic about the sport and never missed a practice or a game. His father always encouraged him to reach for his dreams but never pressured his son to continue football.

He hoped that when he was a senior, he would play on the team during a game. Unfortunately, he sat on the bench for his whole high school football career and never played a game.

The son, who was now a young man, then went to college. He had loved football so much that he wanted to continue participating the sport and so tried out for the college team during the "walk-ons."

No one thought he would make the cut because he had never played a real game and was not as skilled as other players. However, much to everyone's surprised, he made the team.

The coach had picked him because he was a great player in practice. He was always happy and enthusiastic and could get the guys excited about practice and games. For that reason, he was an asset to the team.

One day, before practice, the young man received news that his father had passed away. He told his coach and asked if he would miss that day's football practice. The coach told him to take the week off and not worry about Saturday's game.

During Saturday's game, the team was doing very badly. A few players had been injured, and the team was playing short. The young man quietly left the stand and went to the locker rooms to change into his football gear.

He asked the coach if he could please play the game. The coach was nervous because he knew he would be sending his worst player on the field, but at this point, he did not really have a choice, and so the young man went into the game.

During the last few seconds of the game, the young man intercepted a pass, ran across the field, and made a touchdown, winning the game. The fans ran out onto the field, and his teammates celebrated by lifting him into the air.

Later the coach asked the young man what made him play so well. He said, "Well, my dad was blind, and he still came to all of my matches. Today would have been the first time he could have actually seen me play."

Sourced from English for students.