The Assist
The World Cup has been on our television a lot lately, and it has been amazing how many goals have been scored, the most ever at this point in the tournament. Messi, Ronaldo, and Mbappe, and a score of lesser-known scorers are making their mark.
Inevitably, and deservedly, the striker gets the all the attention and is the centerpiece of team celebrations. But the more soccer I watch, the more I find myself appreciating the pass, that leads to the goal, the setup and positioning as the ball is placed just where it needs to be at just the right time. I appreciate the assist! For most goals, there’s another teammate who created the opportunity for the shot.
A few days ago, I was watching Portugal play Uzbekistan in World Cup group play, and I witnessed a unique example of an assist. Portugal earned a free kick just outside the penalty area. The crowd immediately came alive because standing over the ball, was one of the greatest goal scorers in the history of the game—Cristiano Ronaldo. Everyone expected him to take the shot. The cameras focused on him. The defenders focused on him. The fans pulled out their phones hoping to capture another Ronaldo goal. Uzbekistan built a wall. And even assigned a player to lay on the ground behind them so the ball could not escape underneath! Every eye in the stadium was fixed on Cristiano Ronaldo. Then the referee blew the whistle. Ronaldo stepped toward the ball. The defense reacted. And suddenly another Portuguese player, Nuno Mendes, sprinted onto the ball and blasted it into the net. Goal! Ronaldo was the decoy on this play. One of the most famous athletes in the world willingly stepped into a supporting role because it gave his team and another teammate the best opportunity to succeed. It was surprising leadership and humility from a megastar. But that was an assist.
Sometimes the greatest contribution we can make is helping someone else score. A few days before that goal, I saw another kind of assist while hiking the Manitou Incline in Colorado with my sons Liam and Noah. The Manitou Incline climbs more than 2,000 vertical feet in less than a mile. There are 2,768 steps with an average incline of about 42 degrees! This sucker is steep! Early in the climb, Noah accidentally dropped his water bottle. It cracked and leaked out almost all his water. As the day warmed up, the hike became increasingly difficult. Then strangers began showing up with assists.
One hiker offered Noah the last of his own water. Another handed him fruit gummies and beef jerky. Another stopped to simply offer encouragement.
Nobody had to stop. Yet again, and again, people paused their own journeys to help someone else finish his. Eventually Noah made it. Step by step. All 2,768 of them. And then down too! At the top, and at the bottom, we celebrated the climb. We found ourselves talking lots about the people, the hikers on the Incline who gave Noah what he needed to finish.
Life isn't always about being the one who gets the credit. Sometimes the greatest victories come from helping someone else succeed. Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.
Lions, this week, look around for someone who needs an assist. You just might be the nudge they need to finish their climb because you chose to stop and help.