Arkansas State Press

HOW BILL STOPPED
FUMBLING THE BALL
The power to believe is the greatest force in a human being. Faith and fear are both a form of believing.

Here's a man whose steps have been dogged by sickness, frustration and failure. Someone tries to encourage him by saying, "Don't be afraid. God will help you." He cries, "No, I don't believe He will. I do not believe anything can help me."

Therefore, his fear is a form of belief. He believes God can't help him.

Faith is believing also. Faith is based upon confidence in God and His power to protect and deliver us. This kind of believing brings that feeling of security. It relaxes the muscles. It removes the knot of fear from the stomach. It controls the emotions and calms the mind.

Bill Thomas was a young high school student and his greatest ambition was to be a football player. In his Junior year, he went out for the team. His tackling was vicious. His courage in meeting any situation was outstanding. He played the position of halfback and carried the ball very often.

One day early in his career when the center snapped the ball rather hard, he fumbled. From that hour an insistent fear plagued him whenever the ball was to come to him. Always he would think, "What if I fumble. What if I drop the ball?" When he was carrying back punts down the field, the same fear would nag him. And he did begin fumbling the ball often.

Finally the coach told him that if he kept on fumbling, he would have to take him off the team. But the coach was a rather keen student of human nature.

He took young Bill aside, and this is what he said, "Bill. I know that you are not afraid. Your tackling is too hard and you face the biggest of opponents without one quiver of fear. I would rather have you between an enemy ball carrier and our goal line than anyone else I know. Now, tell me why you drop the ball."

Then Bill told him of his first experience and of the awful fear that kept seizing upon him every time he was called to carry the ball-the fear of fumbling. Then the coach said quietly, "Bill, I want to talk to you and then you talk to yourself. You simply have begun to believe that you are going to fumble. Now, I want you to change your form of believing. From now on whenever the ball is coming to you, I want you to say with a determination and believe it, 'I will catch the ball; I will not fumble: I will carry the ball!' Then ask God to help you-and He will,"

From that moment on, Bill never fumbled again. He became one of the best players in the state. He changed his believing.

These two master emotions, fear or faith, will control you. You are what your believing is because you turn all the power of your being completely in the direction of your believing. The difference lies in whether you practice your faith or practice your fear. Fear not! Only believe.