Remember Who Stayed In The Rain!

Last week a friend offered me a couple of tickets to the Fresno State Football game against UNLV.  Fresno State Football has hit a rough patch, and I suspect there may have been as many free tickets available as there were empty seats at the stadium.  Lose a couple of games, lose a few key players to injury, run into a few issues and the casual fan tends to give up and stay away.

This game seemed to be going the way of the previous three games that all resulted in losses.  Although the game was tied at halftime, many fans made their way to the exits, easily leaving more empty than occupied seats in the stadium.  UNLV had built a substantial lead by the end of the third quarter, so just about everyone else headed out, leaving a crowd the size of a high school rivalry game in the 41,031 seat stadium.  The fans that remained came to life as the Bulldogs rallied and eventually took a three point lead with little time left in the game!

To make a long story short, UNLV brought the ball down the field and was within field goal range, when suddenly the heavens opened up and an absolute downpour fell on the stadium.  Like cockroaches scattering in the light, more people scurried to the exits and left the team to try and hold on in front of the couple of hundred people who stuck around in the pouring rain.  A strong defensive stand and the pouring rain proved to be too much for UNLV, as the Bulldogs hung on for a well deserved and much needed win.

This game reminded me of how life can sometimes be.  You suffer a few losses and fall into a little trouble and people stop showing up and find every reason possible to stay away.  Even the individuals who still come will likely walk away when things start falling apart and it looks like you are a lost cause.  Let a serious storm hit your life and most of the people who are still there will soon vanish, leaving you with almost no support.  While it is easy to focus on everyone who left you, I want to encourage someone to focus on the few who stayed with you in the rain.  Thank the individuals who weathered the storm with you and were present during your toughest battles.  Forget the ones that left you and celebrate, appreciate and always remember the ones who stayed with you in the rain!

Thanks for reading!