I’m originally a Wisconsin girl, so my heart was happy when the home team, the Green Bay Packers won yesterday. Spending most of my adult life in Minnesota, I was sad to see the Vikings lose by such a close margin as well. I didn’t buy a lottery ticket (probably one of the few who didn’t) so I know I didn’t win.
A lot of emphasis is placed on winning in our society. From a very young age, children learn that team sports are not only important for learning how to work together, but also that winning not be important – it’s everything. Parents often spend hours at sporting events convincing their children of that very fact instead of encouraging them when they don’t win. No one likes a loser.
Looking at the life of Jesus, you’d probably consider Him to be just that. He worked to earn a living, which was menial to say the least. Many folks claimed that nothing good ever came out of His home town of Nazareth. He was considered a man of sorrows. When He became an adult, He spent His life nomadically without a place to rest His head. He entered Jerusalem on a lowly donkey instead of a majestic stallion. His ministry was well received at first, but He eventually became beaten and crushed by the religious leaders of the day for speaking heresy. His bloody body hung to a cross as the Roman soldiers cut it short at the age of 33 years.
Even though many thought of Him as the greatest loser of all time, He conquered the grave by coming back to life and proving His power. The Bible is God’s story of how this all came to be. It was all part of His master plan – a plan that makes all of us who believe in Him winners.
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Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
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Beautifully stated Kathy—and I too was pulling for both Green Bay as well as the Vikings—I was so moved by Blair Walsh’s catastrophic miss–and that we are as a society are so focused on winning, that when something such as an apparent easy chip shot is missed, with so very much riding on the making or breaking of the kick—that everyone goes to pieces—forgetting that it was an entire team that put the game in the position to hanging on in the balance of a single kick—in the blink of an eye and the missing of a ball, he has become public enemy number one as well as persona non grata—-the scape goat of what could have, should have been—and it should never be like that.
The team , the city, the fans, the nation has put Blair Walsh in a bad place—and for that, I for one apologize….
I hate what he and his family are feeling today—but I have read the heartening stories of teammates who have been supportive—
Another story of what’s so wrong with our win it all or go home mentality–
Warm wishes Kathy—Julie
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Thanks, Julie – hope you stay warm as well. Are you a Minnesota resident? Maybe Ive already asked you that. Anyway, I’m very proud of the way the Vikings have come to the plate this year and I believe it’s because of their leadership. They’ve succeeded because they are working as a team. There isn’t one individual driving the effort, but good coaching is evident. Both teams should feel good about how far they’ve come this year. Soon it will all be forgotten and thoughts will turn to the big winners and the super bowl – unfortunately. I think our guys are all great sportsmen. Blessings to you and stay warm!
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A Georgia peach Kathy–but a huge cheese head fan—I’ve love Green Bay and the Vikings ever since I was little–I’ve never held the Falcons very close to my heart 🙂
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