karenoka27
Nov 15th 2010, 04:21 PM
Last week my husband and I traveled to Ohio to meet up with our daughters and their husbands to go to a Cleveland Browns vs. NE Patriots football game. My family loves the Patriots and one of my son-in-laws is a huge Browns fan. We decided to leave early in the morning and join the other tailgaters. I had bought some NE Patriots fleece material and made headbands and scarfs. We were ready to have fun and support our team!
What we hadn't taken into consideration is the Brown's fans and just how much they dislike the Patriots and how passionate they are about their team.
We found ourselves in a parking lot filled with orange and brown! These fans were brutal. They would walk by us hurling insults and curses. My husband had food thrown at him. After that, my husband took off his Patriots jacket and hat. In the midst of this, my son who couldn't make it to the game, called. I told him what was going on. He said, "mom, don't take your Pats stuff off. Experience this. In the same way they are hating you, is how Christians are hated by the world. It's not you they hate personally, but what you represent." Wow. I decided no matter what, I would not take off my Patriots apparel.
We were parked at the end of the parking lot, which meant we had to walk through the crowd to get to the stadium. :eek: I thought of Christ walking to the cross. I know what He did can't compare to the experience I had, but it caused me to think of the insults hurled at him along the way. I held my head high.
Sitting through the game in the midst of opposing fans was not comfortable. When the Pats scored we got excited and shouted only to be laughed at.
In the end...we lost!!!:o I wasn't sure which would be better to lose and walk back to the car or win and walk back to the car. We decided we should head out early before the game was completely over...when we stood up, many, many fans started singing to us.." Na, Na, Na, Na, Hey, Hey, Hey...goodbye!":lol:
We didn't get out soon enough. Fans all around us provoking us and tormenting us all the way back to the car. I was so thankful to be back on the highway and more thankful this week to be watching the game on TV!;)
I am so thankful that my son called when he did. I allowed myself to feel the persecution all around me, and understood it was what I represented that was despised. I took it all in and learned from it. As Christians, the world despises the Christ I represent. I am as "proud" if I may use that word, to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ and represent the One True Living God as I walk through the crowds of the unsaved in this life.
What we hadn't taken into consideration is the Brown's fans and just how much they dislike the Patriots and how passionate they are about their team.
We found ourselves in a parking lot filled with orange and brown! These fans were brutal. They would walk by us hurling insults and curses. My husband had food thrown at him. After that, my husband took off his Patriots jacket and hat. In the midst of this, my son who couldn't make it to the game, called. I told him what was going on. He said, "mom, don't take your Pats stuff off. Experience this. In the same way they are hating you, is how Christians are hated by the world. It's not you they hate personally, but what you represent." Wow. I decided no matter what, I would not take off my Patriots apparel.
We were parked at the end of the parking lot, which meant we had to walk through the crowd to get to the stadium. :eek: I thought of Christ walking to the cross. I know what He did can't compare to the experience I had, but it caused me to think of the insults hurled at him along the way. I held my head high.
Sitting through the game in the midst of opposing fans was not comfortable. When the Pats scored we got excited and shouted only to be laughed at.
In the end...we lost!!!:o I wasn't sure which would be better to lose and walk back to the car or win and walk back to the car. We decided we should head out early before the game was completely over...when we stood up, many, many fans started singing to us.." Na, Na, Na, Na, Hey, Hey, Hey...goodbye!":lol:
We didn't get out soon enough. Fans all around us provoking us and tormenting us all the way back to the car. I was so thankful to be back on the highway and more thankful this week to be watching the game on TV!;)
I am so thankful that my son called when he did. I allowed myself to feel the persecution all around me, and understood it was what I represented that was despised. I took it all in and learned from it. As Christians, the world despises the Christ I represent. I am as "proud" if I may use that word, to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ and represent the One True Living God as I walk through the crowds of the unsaved in this life.