In the aftermath of last night’s gut-wrenching soccer loss to Kansas City Christian, I watched as the HCA players fought back tears (most unsuccessfully) at the realization that their season was over, short of their dream. Players hugged teammates, coaches, and anyone else who could offer some solace and comfort. It’s a familiar scene that we see played out 67 times every March during Madness when all but one team comes up short of the ultimate goal. And the end comes so quickly and is so final, especially for the seniors. Only someone who has invested so much to play at a high level can understand the emotions these players and coaches were experiencing.
As I was driving home (huddling around my car heater trying to thaw out!), the thought crossed my mind: “Besides sports, what else in my life am I so passionate about, so invested in, that I would experience these kind of gut-level emotions? What about important things, things of eternal value?” As a youth, my mother (who apparently was absent the day they passed out the “competition DNA”) used to try to give me some perspective in moments like this, reminding me that “a hundred years from now, no one will really care.” As you can imagine, while true, that was small consolation … I usually responded with something like: “Yeah, well get back with me in a hundred years. It really stinks right now!”
Upon further reflection, I don’t think my mother’s statement is so much a dismissal of the present as it is a challenge to consider the eternal. Jesus, wholly God and wholly man, cried when his dear friend Lazarus died. This was human emotion in the face of an earthly loss. And this from someone who 1) knew the eternal perspective better than we could ever hope to and 2) knew that we has going to resurrect him in a few moments. It’s OK to experience the kind of emotion the guys did last night … it’s just part of being human.
The question for me remains. What of eternal value do I invest in so much that failure hurts like a loss at soccer or basketball? I’m tempted to respond like Scarlett O’Hara - “I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow.” But I’m afraid God won’t let me off so easily. Do I invest that much in my relationship with Christ? Do I invest that much in his Word? Do I invest that much in my family relationships? Do I invest that much in discipleship? These are uncomfortable questions, questions I will be answering for some time.
To the HCA soccer team: CONGRATULATIONS on a great season. Your hard work and commitment paid off in a big way. I am especially thankful for the way you represented the HCA family and our Savior both on and off the pitch.
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