Blind Side

 The Blind Side

This week I watched the movie The Blind Side for the second time and noticed that it is more than a football movie—it is the story of a young man named Michael Oher who grew up in the slums of Memphis, Tennessee. For the first 17 years of his life, he went from foster home to foster home. Then one of his friend’s fathers convinced a local football coach to give Oher a chance. Due to his size and athleticism, “Big Mike” became an unlikely student at a private academy named Briarcliff Christian School.  Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy were prominent members of the community, and their children attended Briarcliff. One cold, rainy night they saw Michael walking down the road to the school gym where he planned to spend the night. When Leigh Ann learned about Michael’s situation, she took charge. Michael eventually became a part of the Tuohy family, and they adopted him as one of their own. 

There were a number of heartrending moments in the film.  One of my favorites is when Leigh Ann felt threatened in Michael’s old neighborhood, he gently assured her, and “I’ve got your back.  ”By the end of the movie, you realize that football was only the backdrop of the film. The real story was how the Tuohys protected Michael’s blind side . . . and how he in turn protected theirs. 

Who’s got your blindside?  When was the last time you were blind sided by someone and how did you respond?  Over the years I have led men’s retreats and one of my favorite retreats was with Prince of Peace in Loveland, Ohio.  The theme was from the Gospel of Mark Chapter 2.  It is the story of the paralytic carried by four friends who break through a roof and lower their friend down in front of Jesus for healing.  In that retreat I ask 40 men: “Who are the four friends you could call at 2:30 in the morning outside of your immediate family and ask for their help?”  Many could not name four people.  Can you think of a friend, a prayer partner, how about your congregation, or someone you work with?  There is joy when your blind side is protected and you have the opportunity with God to cover for another. 

You see it does not matter who you are: Michael Oher, The Touey’s, the People of Israel, or each one of us - we all have a blind side, we all need someone to help us on the backside and God ultimately has our backs.  One of my friends asked for prayer this week as he entered a tedious meeting.  He said, “I need a little bit of God’s protection before I enter that place, could you help me?”  Another person sitting close by said, “I’ll be there and I will have your back!”  Isn’t that beautiful?    

In a sermon about the parable of the Good Samaritan the Right Reverend Bishop Gene Robinson said:

The heart of the gospel is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; and to love your neighbor as yourself.  The Christian life is not about life after death it is about life before death. What God does for us after death – God will take care of…but what we do with life before death is up to you and me.

We all have a blind side, but God’s got our back. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son so that we might eternally have the blind side of God’s presence revealed to us one day.  In the mean time we are called to love one another—to look after one another’s blind side with love.  My prayer is that somewhere this week I can say: I’ve got your blind side, and you’ll have mine.