Your YAC Stat

This one is not an original idea, but the analogy was so perfect, I thought I would share it with you. Last night our church had a dedication ceremony for our new building and a man named Jerry Horvater spoke. He is from Texas so naturally he loves football. And since the NFL season kicked off this weekend, I thought I would expand on an analogy he made yesterday. He talked about the YAC stat. For you non-football fans, that means Yards After Contact. The stat is used to show how capable the athlete is of making further yardage when contact by the defense has already been made. It basically shows how long the athlete can stay up when people are trying to bring him down. As Christians, I think we should be concerned about our YAC stat.

In 2 Corinthians 11:22-29, Paul gives his YAC stat. He tells the Corinthian church all of the struggles he has been through in his effort to spread the gospel. He was whipped, imprisoned, shipwrecked, stoned and the list goes on. He was hit with more struggles than most of us could imagine, but he carried on. He gained a whole lot of yards after contact.

The difference in a Christian's life should be how long we can stay up after we've been blindsided. I could probably be an NFL running back if no one was ever going to touch me, and in all honesty, my efforts wouldn't be that impressive. But if I had someone like Clay Matthews coming after me to eat me alive, that would be the true test of my football skills. (A test I would fail miserably). The same is true with our faith. Our struggles can either trip us up and make us fall, or we can refuse to be tackled by them and allow them to strengthen us. It is the very reason Paul says to the Romans, "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know the suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit whom he has given us" (Romans 5:3-5).

In this world you will face troubles and conflict. Difficulties will try to trip you up and tackle you, but with God's help, you will not fall. David got it right when he said, "If the Lord delights in a man, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his righteous right hand" (Psalm 37:23-24). So be encouraged that you aren't facing the struggles of this life alone, you have a God that holds you steady. Remember that, and you will begin to develop perseverance through your struggles that will eventually lead to hope. Remember that, and you will have a pretty fantastic YAC stat.