What will you do with the rest of your life?

I was privileged to serve for 5 years as chaplain to Doncaster Rovers F.C.  My recent move to Leicester meant that I had to relinquish the role; it is an area of my ‘pre-Leicester’ life which I will miss.

The world of professional football tends to have rather a ‘macho’ image, and those involved can face the temptation to try and hide their true feelings and emotions.  However, an incident which occurred earlier in the year clearly broke through that false barrier.  Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba, aged 24, collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest on 17 March during Bolton's FA Cup quarter-final tie with Tottenham Hotspur.

Doctors were later reported as saying that Muamba was "in effect dead" for 78 minutes.  Many people around the country, including fellow professionals and others involved in the game, passed round the message “Pray for Muamba”.  Miraculously, Muamba survived, and was eventually discharged from hospital on 16 April.

Fabrice Muamba hoped that one day he would be able to resume his football career.  However, having taken specialist medical advice, he has recently announced his retirement from football, stating, "While the news is devastating, I have much to be thankful for.  I thank God that I am alive and I pay tribute once again to the members of the medical team who never gave up on me."

In reading the report, I was particularly interested in a comment from Bolton F.C. Chairman, Phil Gartside, "To have Fabrice here and with us is truly amazing and we are all very thankful for that.  The most important thing is that Fabrice and his family have the rest of their lives ahead of them."  The statement recognises that there are some things in life which are much more important than football.

The situation which Fabrice Muamba faced in such a public way reminds us of the fragility of human life.  Every day is a precious gift from God, which we ought to treasure and never take for granted.  Of course, Phil Gartside’s comment that Muamba and his family “have the rest of their lives before them” is true of us all.  But none of us know how long we have left of our earthly lives!

The big question is, what are we going to do with the rest of our lives?  I was very challenged recently by some words from Joyce Meyer, “Make a decision that no matter how long it takes or how hard it is, you are going to be all that God wants you to be.”  Surely that’s what really matters, isn’t it?