reallife

Remember Your Goalkeeper

In December 1937, during a football match at Stamford Bridge in London between Chelsea FC and Charlton FC, the game was abandoned in the 60th minute due to heavy fog.

Unfortunately, Charlton FC goalkeeper Sam Bartram was unaware that the match had been stopped and continued to guard his goal for another fifteen minutes. He did not hear the referee’s whistle because of the noise from the crowd behind him. Believing that his teammates were attacking the opposing goal, he stood with outstretched arms, fully focused on protecting his goal amidst the dense fog.

It was only fifteen minutes later when the field police approached him and informed him that the match had been abandoned fifteen minutes earlier. Sam Bartram, deeply saddened by this, famously said:

” HOW SAD THAT MY FRIENDS FORGOT ME WHEN I WAS GUARDING THEIR GATE.”

Life’s game is much like this. We diligently and supportively guard the goals of many around us, but when the situation becomes foggy, some may abandon us.

May this remind us especially nowadays when it is easy to abandon people that we become friends with just because we cannot see clearly how we can play the game ahead of us because of the uncertain future we face.
Remember, true friendship and loyalty is tested when we are going thru the foggy moments of our lives.
Don’t let the fog blind you not to reach out to those that have been with you when the game was still good and play a vital role in guarding your gate of victory in the past.

Whoever he maybe, remember your GOALKEEPER no matter how foggy the scene is!

Shane Mercado