The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat

   Back in the dark ages of TV, ABC used to have a Saturday afternoon show called Wide World of Sports. The opening clip showed some athletes on top of their game, and then one wiping out on the ski jump. The audio talked about the "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat".

   I have given a lot of thought about those concepts since I wrote of the high school football game of last Friday night. (if you missed that one, scroll back a couple and catch up) What was God's role in the outcome? Now, I understand that the only people I heard were those on the winning side, so my sample is definitely skewed, but here are some:

   "God truly showed up on Friday night"

   "I felt a holy shift in the air"

   "There are lessons to be learned in winning and in losing"

   "I give all praise and thanks to Jesus Christ, He alone gets all the glory for this"

   Most of the above could have been uttered in truth regardless of the outcome, but remember that all came from the victor's side of the field.

   What about the other side? Especially in the trauma of the moment, did they think that God abandoned them in the 4th quarter? They might have realized that there were lessons in losing that might really help them and their team, and they might have praised God for all the good things that went on during that game and its aftermath, but right then it was hard to even think that way.

   It is much easier to step back and take a look at the supposed "big picture" when you are smiling with victory than the other way around, when in truth it will take till the end of time for the impact of one small event or word to manifest itself. We don't really know what God purposed in all of that. We may just know that, at the moment, it was a pretty good time for some and pretty bad for others. The long term "pretty good and pretty bad" are unknown to us, regardless of which side we were on.

   What if a parent or a team member from the losing team happened to stay on our Island for the weekend and visited a church where several of the winning players attended? What if the statement was made "God really showed up on Friday night"?

   I went to the game. I came away thrilled with the resulting score. I celebrated with parents and team in the victory, but as I look back I wonder if I saw the whole picture, even the "whole picture" of that one night.

   It is right to be thankful for blessings that He gives us, but not to say that He was wearing green that night.

   God help me to not prejudge any of Your actions or motives, but just be aware that You are concerned about all of us and our lives. May I serve you knowing that You love each person and plan for the best for them, regardless.