Football, Jesus and us

How come you can't do everything you want to?

The answer to that question is easy: Nobody can do everything, except God. In this week's Gospel (Mark 7:31-37), Jesus does just that: After teaching and spending time with His friends, He performs a miracle!

Some people brought a man to Jesus to be cured. The man was deaf and couldn't talk. Jesus put His fingers into the man's ears, then spat on them and touched the man's tongue, saying, "Open up!" Suddenly, the man could hear and talk! Everyone was amazed at Jesus. "He can do anything!" they said.

Jesus was a little different. In the Gospel story, people were amazed at Him because He was good at everything. He wasn't just friendly or good at teaching about God; He could even do miracles, like making a deaf person hear.

Jesus is still a good person to look up to, though. He reminds us that we have to find things we're good at. You might not be a good quarterback, but maybe you're a great scorekeeper. If you can't throw a football, you might be good at kicking -- so you can try soccer instead!

Sometimes, you don't even know what you can do until you try. Jesus had faith like that: He believed He could touch a man's ears and mouth, and make him hear and talk -- and it worked!

Even if God didn't make you good at everything, you're good at some things. God didn't make us all quarterbacks -- but we're still in the game.

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me find the things I'm good at! Amen.