It’s a thankless job, really.
Being an umpire. Or a referee.
On your very best day you are completely ignored. And it goes downhill from there.
To be honest, I don’t know why you do it. Why you put up with it. I have never been an umpire or referee. But I have watched you. You are trying to be fair. You are trying to call ‘em as you see ‘em. The action is happening so fast. It’s impossible to see everything.
Impossible.
You are trying to do an impossible job. Perfection is the minimum. Anything less and you are going to throw someone into a rage, a literal, blood-curdling, “I’m-scared-for-society” kind of a rage.
Imagine this kind of pressure in a different work setting. Take the middle-aged mother I was watching in the stands at a local girls sporting event. She was literally screaming at the officials. Calling them names. Accusing them of cheating against her team. She was telling her daughter that her true opponents were the officials.
Now imagine going to the office where she works. Imagine sitting beside her desk, then screaming, screaming at her when she made any single move you didn’t like. She makes a type-o on the computer…. “Go home, you moron!” Stomp your feet. Shake your fist.
Of course no one would put up with that kind of abuse. You would be kicked out of the building. If you kept it up you would be arrested. There would be a restraining order. If you insisted on screaming at the office worker, you would end up being psychiatrically evaluated.
But instead of an office worker trying to do her job, we are talking about an official trying to do his job – and suddenly everything changes. Suddenly, for some reason, it is acceptable to lose all sense of decorum, all sense of propriety and decency.
And I am not talking about drunken maniacs with painted chests. I am talking about middle class, middle aged mothers with little children looking up to them.
Stop and think. These officials are just doing their job. Do you remember when the last big umpire cheating scandal rocked the nation? It never happened! There is no cheating conspiracy among officials against your team!
I thought of all this as I read Matthew chapter nine this morning, where Jesus said, “Go and learn what this means…..I desire mercy….” We don’t show mercy because someone deserves it. We show mercy because we are merciful.
When someone cuts you off in traffic, show mercy. When someone talks about you behind your back, show mercy.
And when someone does something so completely insignificant as calling a penalty on your team during a game….please, for the sake of your own dignity….show mercy.
(As heard on Wave 94.1 FM)
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