The Handoff After the Touchdown

When Walter Payton scored a touchdown — and he scored 125 of them across thirteen seasons with the Chicago Bears — he did something unusual. Instead of spiking the ball or dancing in the end zone, Payton would turn around and hand the football to the offensive lineman who had thrown the key block. Every single time.

Payton rushed for 16,726 yards, a record that stood for nearly two decades. Sportswriters called him "Sweetness" — not just for his elusive running style, but for the grace he carried off the field. He understood something that escapes most of us: no one crosses any goal line alone.

The Apostle Paul put it this way: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves" (Philippians 2:3). Payton lived that verse under stadium lights. He knew that every highlight-reel run began with someone else absorbing a hit he never felt.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself — it is thinking of yourself less. It is remembering that the people doing the unglamorous work of holding back what would flatten you deserve the ball handed to them with gratitude.

This week, who has been blocking for you? A spouse, a friend, a prayer partner quietly carrying your burdens? Maybe it is time to hand them the ball.