Timeliness of Our Desires

For weeks, pundits and sports analysts have reported the whereabouts of the top draft picks for the 2007 NFL season. Highly touted QB's, illusive RB's, and highly demanded (as the draft has shown from the first 10 picks) DB's were the talk in the past few weeks. Commericials, interviews, headlines--they all were predicting the Draft order by knowing which draftee was talking to what team, what team need who, and which players were the best among the teams picking early in the draft. JaMarcus Russell would go to Oakland Raiders, Calvin Johnson to ...I forget... and Brady Quinn would go to the Cleveland Browns. In that order, mind you. Being an avid Notre Dame fan, [yes Aggs, I do support Notre Dame but only 2nd to you] I could really give a shit about the first two guys or anyone else as far as that goes.

So it came to form...everything happened as predicted except for the 3rd pick. Quinn was supposed to be drafted by the Browns. Afterall, it was widely known that he grew up supporting that team, and interview after interview Quinn expressed delight and desire to go with the Browns, his hometown team. During the draft, I know of no picture most displayed by the network than the picture of Quinn at age four wearing a Browns uniform and helmet; this was going to be his dream come true! Moreover, Browns staff loved Quinn at the NFL Combine, and they had nothing but exalting things to say about the Notre Dame QB when watching him on tape. The only negative thing you heard about him in the past weeks was the fact that the talent around him at Notre Dame wasn't up to par with his own performance. Out of the top three picks, Quinn was the most predictable pick by order and by team. Slam dunk! Right? I mean come on, he's supposed to go with the Browns,,,,,,,,right?

The 3rd pick by Cleveland went to pick up an offensive tackle, Joe Thomas!

I dont know about Brady, but I was fucking shocked as Hell! I couldn't imagine what he felt. Dejection? Suffocation? Despair? Loss of confidence about what he had been told by that Browns staff! What the hell happened? What the fuck? Everything pointed toward Quinn being picked up by the Browns,,,,what...how....why...? Someone please explain!?!?

Then came the 4th pick, the 5th, the 6th.......finally 9th came by way of the Miami Dolphins. They were in a quarterback dilemna, so why not Quinn? Hell, even Matt Lienart went around this time last year after this steep a drop off. Well, Miami went with another guy. So 10th then 11th, and no call to the stage. Keep in mind that each pick is 15 minutes apart! Was this excruciating or what?

Picture and screenshot after screenshot was focused on Quinn as the picks went on and on. Forget the Browns, when was some team gonna draft this Heisman candidate QB who studied under a 3-time Super Bowl winning offensive genius in Charle Weis? What in God's mysterious world was going on here? Hell, he only broke about 20 Notre Dame records in his 4 years there. Whats going on?

Finally the 20th came and went with the 21st next to come. The 22nd pick was going to be a Dallas pick. As those minutes went by until Dallas had to announce their pick, a loud cheer sounded from the crowd. Turns out the Cleveland Browns GM had struck a deal with Jerry Jones! Cleveland would pick again in the 1st round in place of the Cowboys! The aura and emotion of the crowd and broadcasters was like never seen before in the preceeding 5 hours of the draft. Draftees were announced 20 times already, but nothing stirred the atmosphere as the news that was expected. Sure enough, Cleveland struck a deal to get the 22nd pick and named Quinn was their man!

What the Hell is my point on all this? It really has nothing to do with football at all.

The point is that there is a time when our desires and wants are given to us. Even when everything points in our direction, it doesn't mean it will be fulfilled in OUR time. And when OUR time is unfulfilled, our faith is tested. What are you made of? What is your faith and how strong is it? Are you going to buckle b/c you dont get what you want and turn your back on yourself, the close ones around you, and possibly God? After all, when we want something so bad we bring God into the picture! Right? Call me a liar! I dare you.

Do we turn our back on God? This is what this post is geared to! I have seen and experienced some traumatic shit in my lifetime. I just happen to see a story played before my eyes that wasnt totally aware of. In a way, seeing all this play out this weekend was awe-insipring for me. This weekend has lifted my hopes and breathed new confidence in me.

A lot of times, this "timeliness" can separate a creature from his creator. Quite frankly, I personally think that this has seperated a great many people from their God in the ages that have past. Think about it, maybe God delays our gift/desire in order to test our faith. Maybe he wants to see how we will react toward him as those he has tested before in this manner, i.e. Abraham with Isaac, Sarah with her 1st son, Moses and the rock, King David with all those famines, even Christ himself in the desert. I mean none of these people, except for maybe Christ, knew how things would come out. They didn't know that in the end everything would pan out for them just fine. They just saw the dilemna in front of them, and they were to deal with it. Faith was tested as with fire. Dont be surprised to find this past statement in Scripture ; - )

Was Quinn tested? Hell I dont know. He got his wish/desire/gift in the end. However, he had to wait for it. This is my other point. He didn't know that he was going to get his gift. In the end he did! Again, he waited 5 long hours without knowing the what, where, why, what the Hell of his situation. God's time is not our time! God's ways are not our ways--just look up the laborers when those who showed up at the end of the day to work were paid the same as those who labored all day long. The ones who had been there all day bitched to the master! Can you blame them? Why does our Lord work this way? I do not know! I wish I knew. I wish I knew why he chooses the long and seemingly complicated route full of misery and frustration.

As the story played on, one of the broadcasters had a look of awe on his face as he said that "this was truely a story book ending." No one else had gotten so much hype as Quinn. No one else had a story so known as Quinn's. Everyone knew over the past weeks that no one was so perfectly aligned than Quinn for the Browns. It had to be! It was meant to be and more. According to the GM of the Browns, the cost to get Quinn at pick 23 was much greater than it would have to get him at pick 3 because of the deal made between them and the Cowboy owner Jerry Jones. The Browns had to pull major strings and pay a heavier cost to get back in the 1st round to grab Quinn before another team got him. In fact, the mere fact that Quinn went as late as he did and in the fashion by which the Browns got him only built up the drama, suspense, and the glory of it all. No other player got so much attention than Quinn on this draft day, not even Jamarcus Russell, the number 1 pick by Oakland. Story book ending? If you watched all that had happened in the past weeks and on draft day......yes you would have thought so no matter which guy you were rooting for.

Timing---God is a miracle worker with this little phenomenon! Man only has to thankful that He's not an employee who has to clock in every morning,,,,,,,,,just kidding. Could it be that a lineman was to lead the way and in a sort of way, prepare, for the quarterback that was to come? Afterall, Quinn was rushed like crazy this past year b/c of problems with his offensive line. Was it to Quinn's long term advantage to have a prized lineman go before him to make sure that his playing ability was fully realized? Prepare the way......wow.....I believe that I read that somewhere.

I've said that before on this blog. I've come to see how he manipulates time to his, and mostly our, advantage for he forsees what we humans cannot. And even though his timing may cause us shock, distress, anxiety, hopelessness, despair, frustration, and at times rebellion, his timing will work to our greater benefit and happiness. It seems that His ways tend to have a more symbolic, a more awe-inspiring impact and consequence than would our best guess would give to the situation at hand. How much sweeter is our story whether it be Quinn's or our's that our scenario plays out with such a dramatic effect. What does it add to the story to know the hero wins in the end despite what he had to go through to get there? How much sweeter is that?

Would it have been as sweet to go 3rd? Hardly! How other way would a loving Father provide for his children than to give the best for them by the best means. This is God's story book...let the author show his talents as he pleases. Easy to say? Sure it is, but hang in there baby! The rest will take care, or shall I say, will be taken care of on His time. Night!!