Matthew 10:22
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Nothing like a good 'ol encouraging verse to start the week, huh? I know the first part of this passage sounds terrible (cue the voiceover with the booming voice - ALL MEN WILL HATE YOU! HATE YOU! HATE YOU!), but remember that the best part of the verse - that part about being saved - is pointless without the first part (that's the part the voiceover guy did a minute ago). Let me see if what I experienced this past Saturday can clear up some of you confusion. Of course, if it doesn't, you may want to go with another cup of coffee or your energy drink of choice.

Early Saturday morning, Parker, Will and I got up, met some friends, and headed over to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte to watch the annual Carolina Panthers FanFest. We joined 16,465 other people who were crazy enough to endure temperatures close to 100 degrees in order to possibly get an autograph of two from one of the Panther players (or hopefuls). As the day went on, the minutes started to seem like hours and it wasn't long before all 5 of us were pretty bored and tired. We were sitting in some pretty hot bleacher seats on the second row at the goalline and had already begun to formulate a plan for getting our sons as close to the rail as possible for autographs when an amazing thing happened: the people in front of us left and 5 very hot front row seats became available. We snatched them right up and were able to enjoy (okay, I'm using that word loosely) the rest of the scrimmage while we waited for the autograph session.

Three very incredible things happened to us on the front row that day. First, no leg hairs were singed or burned in the heat. Whew! Second, my sons appeared on the scoreboard video screen (that's them in the picture above). And third, Parker and Will got the autographs of 4 or 5 Panthers and also were given the gloves of one of the players - #60, Otis Grigsby - as the day wound down to a close. None of this would have happened had we not gotten those front row seats, and the people who got up and left them available for us missed out. The point? We endured the heat and the sun and the girl who almost pushed us over the rail and in the end we were rewarded with stories we can tell for quite some time.

Our faith is no different. There could very well be hard times for each of us - ALL MEN WILL HATE YOU! - but it is no comparison to what is waiting for us at the end. Shoot, no that I think about it, we really do focus way too much on the bad stuff - the heat, the sun, the psycho chick - and not enough on the reward. Parker and Will got an incredible reward Saturday for hanging in there and not quitting. They are now the proud owners of some really smelly fotball gloves and are big fans of a guy named Grigsby who we hope makes the team.

But our reward in the verse above is infinitely greater than smelly gloves from a sweaty football player. We get salvation and all the stuff this life can throw at me will never make me give up my seat.

Even 100 degree days.