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"But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . kindness."
(Galatians 5:22)
Standing in line to check out of Dr. Bob Meyer's office a few days ago, I stood next to a young man about 6'3" wearing an Austin Westlake High School t-shirt. I asked if he played for the high school football team, and he said, "Yes sir." I knew that they had won their semi-final game and would be playing for the Class 6A championship the following Saturday. By the way, high school football in Texas is a big deal, and to play for the state championship in the largest division is a dream for many athletes. Last year, I met another Westlake football player and he was about 6'5", and he was the third string quarterback playing behind guys who went to Ohio State and the University of Texas. So, I asked this young man at Dr. Bob's office if he got to play much, and he said he did. He was the quarterback.
Cade Klubnik is the young man's name, and he was such a delight to talk to. He had no airs or pride; he's just a genuine athlete who loves people as much as he loves the game he has excelled in. Cade played in the championship game as a sophomore at Westlake when they won the state title last year. This year, he will lead the undefeated Westlake Chaparrals against the Southlake Carroll Dragons. Westlake has produced some great quarterbacks, including Drew Brees, Nick Foles, and Sam Ehlinger.
An interesting feature of the game is that the Westlake football team is coached by Todd Dodge who led Southlake's football team to 5 state championships, and Southlake's head coach is Dodge's son, Riley, who played quarterback for his dad when they won the state title at Southlake in 2006. Cade told me some neat stories while we stood there in the doctor's office. One story he told was how Southlake tried to rehire Coach Todd Dodge after a couple of seasons as head coach of the University of North Texas. Southlake offered to name the high school stadium after him if he would come and be their coach again. Dodge told them, "I am not your guy, but I can give you 50 reasons why you need to hire my son." And they did! And now on Saturday, they will face off for the biggest prize in high school football: the 6A Texas title.
When Cade left the office, he told me, "Hey, it was nice talking to you." Ruby Meyer, Dr. Bob's wife, commented on how nice of a young man he was, and how he speaks to everyone. Cade is the 7th ranked high school quarterback in the nation and has already received 26 offers to play collegiately. But the thing that impressed me the most about him was simply how kind he was.
I wish we all had more of this important trait that the Apostle Paul named as one of the nine fruits of the Spirit. Our nation could use some kind words and actions. I am writing this devotion the day before the big game, so I will tune in on Saturday and watch the game on Fox Sports Southwest. By the time you are reading this, you will already know (or be able to Google) what happened. I will be pulling for number 6 for Westlake, a talented, and yes, very kind, young man named Cade.
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