You may have heard of a guy named Roy Reigels, better known as “Wrong Way Reigels.” He was a linebacker in the 1920’s for the University of California. He got his famous nickname towards the end of the 1st half of the Rose Bowl against Georgia Tech. It was Georgia Tech’s ball but Reigels intercepted it. While he was evading tackle after tackle, he got turned around and headed towards the goal line. Unfortunately, it was the wrong goal line and his own teammates had to tackle him just a few yards short of the end zone. That play eventually led to a score and a win for Georgia Tech and poor Roy was horribly embarrassed. Newspapers mocked him calling him “Wrong Way Reigels” and that name stuck for the rest of his life.
BUT, one newspaper had a different point of view. They called the final 30 minutes of Reigel’s game the most inspiring and skilled ever played by a linebacker. What made the difference? Reigel told the reporter that he was so humiliated when he walked off the field for halftime and couldn’t face the other players. The coach called out the starting lineup for the 2nd half and said Reigel’s name. He told the coach that he couldn’t go back out, that he’d let the team down and made a fool of himself. The coach told him, “Son, you made a bad mistake and it hurt us, but the game is only half over. We need you. Now get out there!”
One mistake didn’t define him and it doesn’t define you either. All of us make mistakes. All of us fail. But no matter how badly we have fallen, we can always start fresh. God is the God of second chances, and third chances and yes, infinite chances!
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