I am the president of Pop Warner football here in Homer Alaska. It is a volunteer activity I participate in so that my kids and other children have an organized and safe place to play football each year. As a leader I make a huge effort to purchase the best equipment we can afford and keep it new and clean.

With that said, I know of one very predictable thing that is going to happen every year. Every year I will have 4-6 kids who will come to the gear trailer every practice. Their helmet will need adjusted. Their shoulder pads are too big or too small. Their chin strap clips will not snap tight. And on and on it goes.

Then on the nights when I know their gear is alright they will suddenly have an injury. Their ankle hurts. They have a headache (usually classified as a migraine). Last night I walked over to one boy and he wasn’t even in gear and I asked what his problem was tonight. He responded with, and I quote, “I have a sinus infection in the back of my head.” I began to laugh and so did another parent nearby. I calmly said, “Really, that is hard to believe.”

Here is my point. With some kids, they find an excuse every night to not get involved. They want to be around the game, but they don’t want to do anything to really participate especially if it might require any extra effort.

The same is true of a large group of adults I know at Church.