The Touchdown That Changed the Game
- Dec 7, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 2
The Touchdown That Changed the Game — and Changed My Calling
By Holly Gernatt, BSN, RN, CCRN • December 7, 2025
On December 7th, I was sitting at work with two screens in front of me.
On one screen, I was watching the EWTN documentary I Am With You — the story of Blessed Carlo Acutis. On the other, the Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals game played quietly on mute in the background.
My full attention was on Carlo.
I wasn’t watching football.I wasn’t tracking the score.I wasn’t even aware of how much time was left in the game.
I was listening to Carlo’s story — his love for Jesus, his devotion to the Eucharist, and his boldness in using technology to share the Gospel. His life stirred something deep within me: a holy mix of longing, recognition, and quiet conviction. The kind that settles in your chest and won’t let go.
As the documentary moved toward its conclusion, the Spirit felt close — heavy in the room, but gentle.
Purposeful.
And then, at the exact moment the documentary reached its emotional and spiritual peak — the kind where your heart feels like it might burst — something happened.
As if heaven had timed it down to the second, I lifted my eyes from Carlo’s story to the muted football game.
What I saw next felt divinely orchestrated.
The score was 28–18. The Bengals were in the lead, with just eight minutes left in the game.
It looked bleak. Almost finished.
The Bengals snapped the ball. Their quarterback launched a pass.
And then everything changed.
Buffalo Bills #47 read the play perfectly, stepped into the passing lane, and intercepted the ball. He sprinted toward the end zone with everything he had, #1 from the Bengals chasing him the entire length of the field — but he couldn’t catch him.
#47 crossed into the end zone for a breakthrough pick-six touchdown.
In an instant, the momentum shifted.The score flipped.Hope was restored.
Just like that, 28–18 became 31–28.
And in that very moment — as #47 crossed the goal line — the Holy Spirit spoke clearly to my heart:
“This isn’t just their touchdown moment. This is your touchdown moment.”
I froze.
That play wasn’t just a play. It wasn’t coincidence. It wasn’t random timing.
It was revelation.
The symbolism was impossible to ignore:
#47 scoring — a number my eyes locked onto instantly
#1 chasing him — the enemy pursuing calling
A comeback in the final eight minutes — God redeeming years of confusion in a moment
A sudden shift on the scoreboard — like the shift happening inside me
Victory when defeat looked certain — mirroring my own journey
Hope rising where doubt had lived — God was awakening in my heart
As the documentary concluded with a message of faith, mission, and surrender, the football game erupted into breakthrough and victory.
Two endings. Perfectly aligned. One spiritual. One physical. Both pointing to the same truth.
And what followed in the game only confirmed it:
A 40-yard touchdown run by Josh Allen
A 63-yard pick-six by Christian Benford
A forced turnover by A.J. Epenesa
A final victory score of 39–34
What looked impossible became reality.
And God spoke again.
As the Bills made their comeback, God declared a comeback over my life. As #47 crossed the goal line, God brought something inside me to completion. As the scoreboard changed, my understanding of my calling changed.
This was the moment God birthed the vision for this website. This was the moment years of preparation finally made sense.
This was the moment He said:
“Now is the time.”
“This is your calling.”
“This is your touchdown moment.”
Between Carlo Acutis’ story and the Bills’ miraculous turnaround, God brought everything together:
My desire to teach
My years of clinical experience
My testimony of deliverance
My love for Scripture
My calling to reach clinicians
My longing for direction and purpose
God used Carlo’s story to ignite the vision. He used the touchdown to confirm the calling.
He used that moment to say:
“Now.”“This is why I prepared you.”“This is the path I carved for you.”“This is the ministry I am entrusting to you.”
What had been blurry for years suddenly came into sharp focus.
This website — this ministry — was born in that divine intersection of faith, symbolism, and obedience.
It was my touchdown moment.
Seek, and You Will Find
Jesus said:
“Seek, and you will find.” — Matthew 7:7
On December 7th, I found what I had been searching for. Clarity. Purpose. Courage.
This website is the fruit of that moment —a place for clinicians walking the narrow road, serving in chaos, carrying weight, and needing truth anchored in Scripture and lived experience.
Carlo Acutis — for inspiring the courage to begin
Jesus Christ — for speaking directly to my heart
The Holy Spirit — for orchestrating a moment I will never forget
My prayer is that this space becomes someone else’s touchdown moment.
“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”Jeremiah 29:13
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