GAIN FROM LOSS

William R responded so beautifully and articulately to the last post with this observation: I would answer that by saying that "it is by no means JUST a game, but it is by no means EVERYTHING." And if I could really get that into my head, I could examine myself freely - not fretting my flaws, but mastering them. A spirit of hope and joy that errs on the side of self-confidence -this is an entirely superior experience, and tactic, than a spirit of anxiety and second-guessing." What astute insight. Thanks William R.

My devotional to the NNU basketball team this afternoon will sound like this:
There was a young businessman who just set up his business selling very expensive computers. He would make a very good living selling one per month. He’d been dreaming about this business since just a little tyke – worked in shops getting sales experience. Spent over $100,000 on his college education in preparation.

He began working with his first client, taking him to lunch, playing golf, building the relationship, spending considerable time leading up to the proposal of a sale. The client didn’t buy, in fact he bought from his ocmpetitor. “Oh well, he thought, “its just business. No big deal. In athletic terms he said, “its just a game.: He didn’t learn from the loss. His attitude was, “ca sara, sara. Whatever will be, will be.” A closed sign soon appeared on his shop door.

Another guy, same situation, buys out the first guy’s business. Sets up. Nurtures relationships for sales. Has his first sales opporunity. Like the first guy, the sale didn’t consumate. The rejection tore him up. “What did I do wrong? What can I learn from this? What should I do differently next time?” The loss upset him just long enough to get his adrenlin flowing for working more wisely on the next customer.

A short time passed and his second sales opportunity surfaced. Initially the client said “no”, but because he had learned from his first loss and though it looked liked he was to lose this client, he hung in there with wise and persuasive counsel that won him the sale – a great one that far exceeded his expectations.

Men, that is the scenario of the weekend games. Thursday night’s loss wasn’t “just a game.” You should have been upset by your poor perforance – for about an hour -as you dug deeply into your soul and asked, “what am I to learn from this. How can I contribute more productively? What did I do wrong?” After about an hour it was time to say, “that’s enough. I now prepare for the next game, a wiser more determined player.”

And that is what you did. Central Washington University, a very strong team, athletically superior to you pulled ahead of you by 19 points. You learned that it wasn’t the “size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” Toward the end of the game you caught up with them and in the last moments you pulled ahead and won by 11. A tremendous display of team work, heart and sweat. You played like you had six men on the floor with great wisdom and determination.

You’ve just experienced again that basketball is a microcosm of life in general. How you play the basketball game will be how you tend to play in "the game of life."

James 1:2-4 tells us, When you come into trouble and trials of many kinds count yourself supremely happy in the knowledge that such testing of your faith breeds fortitude and when you give fortitude full play, you’ll become a balanced character, falling short in nothing.

The results of Thursday night’s game and the first three fourths of Saturday night’s game was a test of your fortitude. You passed the test. You grew in character. You are stronger individually. You are stronger as a team. And I am one blessed man to be associated with you.