Don't Overlook Good Fortune

There's an old joke about a southern pastor who decided to test his faith when the river overflowed its banks. As the flood waters were rising, a pickup truck drove by the church and the driver called in "Hey father, hop in the back and I'll drive you to safety." To which the preacher replied, "No thank you son, my faith in the Lord will save me."

The waters kept rising and the preacher went to the second floor to seek refuge. Just then a row boat came by and the guy in the boat yelled, "swim on over father, I'll take you to safety." And again the preacher declined, replying "my faith in the Lord will save me."

The water kept rising and the preacher now found himself on the roof of the chapel. Just then, a helicopter swooped by and let down a rope ladder, and the pilot's voice came over the loud speaker, "father, grab the ladder and we'll take you to safety." Steadfast in his beliefs, the preacher declined for the third time, professing "my faith in the Lord will save me."

Sure enough, the waters kept rising and the poor preacher was swept away and drowned.

To say he was a little bit steamed when he reached the gates of heaven would be a bit of an understatement. When he finally got his audience with St. Peter, he vented, "I devoted my whole life to my faith and service to the Lord, and on the ONE day that I needed you, you abandoned me!"

To which St. Peter replied, "What more do you want? We sent the truck, we sent the boat and we sent the helicopter!!!"

Why do I post this story on the blog today? Because with the events of Sunday, I hope the Seahawks don't overlook the same good fortune provided to them by the likes of the Rams, Redskins, Titans and Patriots.

The Rams kept San Francisco at bay, protecting the Seahawks lead in the division. The Redskins and Titans surprised the Panthers and Giants, respectively, taking care of other close NFC competition. And the Patriots delivered another loss to the slumping Bears, making NFC home field advantage a race again.

Tonight the Seahawks have a chance to help their own cause by beating the Packers, at home, in front of a national audience. Let's hope they acknowledge the signs and take full advantage of the opportunity!


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