Is God a Georgia Bulldawg?

My Dad instilled a love and a passion for South Carolina football early in my life.  We were Gamecock fanatics.  One of my first memories of attending an out-of-town game was in the early 1970s when we made the 67 mile trip from Abbeville to Athens to see the Gamecocks play at Sanford Stadium.  We arrived at the stadium early ... that was the custom.  We stood near the gate where the players entered the stadium.  I remember my Dad shaking Coach Paul Dietzel's hand as he entered the stadium that day.  I just knew that it was going to be a great day.

My excitement  soon turned to dispair as the game progressed.  Vince Dooley and his Dawgs walked all over us.  When we left the stadium that day, it was 54 - 14.  We left with our head hanging low.  We were embarassed.  That defeat was a defining moment for me. From that moment on,  I wanted to see Georgia lose.  Most people would say, I pull for such and such of a team except when they are playing my favorite team.  Well, I did not have that philosophy.  I wanted to see Georgia lose every time they stepped on the field.  

Through the years, I've held on to my dislike for Georgia through the coaching stints of Vince Dooley and Ray Goff.  Then, Georgia hired Mark Richt.  I did not know much about Mark Richt when he moved to Athens.  I knew that he had worked for Bobby Bowden and he had great success while at Florida State, but that's about it.  I held on to my dislike for the Dawgs.  

As the years have gone by, I have watched Mark Richt turn the Georgia Bulldog program into one of the finest programs in America.  He has done remarkable things on the field, but more than that Mark Richt has been a role model off the field.   Mark Richt has demonstrated to our country what it means to truly follow Jesus Christ.

Today, Patty and I sat in silence as we watched the ESPN story on the Richt's adoption of the two kids from the orphanage in the 1990s.  He spoke how God's word encourages true Christ followers to take care of widows and orphans.    When they went to the orphanage, they asked themselves which child would have a hard time being adopted.  When they saw a little girl with a facial deformity, they knew that she was the one.  They adopted her and another little boy. They determined that they were going to love these kids as their own.  It was a moving story.

I have been reared to dislike the Bulldawgs, but today I struggle.  How can you dislike someone like Mark Richt?  Mark Richt is a man of God who constantly puts his faith into practice.  He models faith and demonstrates the love of Christ in practical ways.

Mark Richt has messed me up.  I want to see the Dawgs lose, but I want to see Mark Richt win. I am perplexed.  I am still a committed and loyal Gamecock, but I am wondering if God is softening my heart for the Dawgs?  Hmmm.  Do you think God is a Georgia Bulldawg?  

No .....  surely not.

MartyBaker@stevenscreek.net