Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
- Romans 5:3-5
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
- James 1:2-4
“Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?”
- Zechariah 4:10
I have been halfway watching some dull football. Some of it may be good defense, but when you have beaten the defense and then drop a pass when you are wide open, that is not good football.
I say halfway in that the game is on television and half the time, I go down to do some writing and when I come upstairs for one thing or another, I check the scores and maybe watch a few plays.
But I have found that I am the worst kind of “fan” that there is. When the team makes one mistake after another, I go downstairs to write. I cannot watch the home team do poorly, or the team from the school where I got my degree. A loyal fan would root for the team down to the last tick of the clock, regardless of the score. My favorite college team scored two touchdowns in the last minute of the half. I was not near the television to see it, and I still have no idea how it happened.
But as I get frustrated with poor play, I pray that God forgives me. If my frustration gets worse, then I am putting more “faith” in my team instead of in God. The team can let me down. God will not.
But why did the play start erratically for a few teams that I root for?
The NFL shortened the preseason to three games. The coaches panic. They want to see the new players to see if they will fit into the team. They are afraid the old players will get hurt and miss the season. So, preseason is virtually unwatchable.
Then, when the season starts, the veterans are rusty. Even with all the practice, they have not played at game speed with people on the other team trying to hit them really hard. So, the teams hope they have a good record by the end of the fourth week. Hmmm. If the veterans had played in four preseason games, they would have been ready at the start of the season. Sorry, just me thinking.
And every game in college counts, sort of. An early loss to a ranked team does not necessarily destroy the season, but two losses and you might not get into the playoffs. You might be playing for a nice bowl game instead. So, when you are rated highly before anyone has played a game, do the “experts” have a clue whether you are a good team or not?
Now to shift gears to baseball, it is interesting looking at the standings after the first month of the season and then a month before the end of the season. They usually look completely different. All it takes is a couple of young pitchers that no one has seen pitch before. No one can hit them. But once there is enough film on these guys, the good hitters figure them out and the young guys are no longer unbeatable. But back to football…
In both college and pros there are those teams that are considered the best money can buy, but football is a team sport. Star players who do not play well as a teammate can turn the great preseason team into a losing team quickly.
So, is the slow start for the offense due to the good defense they are playing against? Is the offense having a slow start because they need more experience? Or is a “star player” poisoning the locker room?
I really do not care. I have not seen the end of a night game in years.
By this time in the season, I still root for the home teams, but maybe watching even less of the games. But I am also looking at other teams. Who can put an impressive drive together? Who can stop the other team from doing that? And who can do both without making dumb mistakes, okay not too many of those?
So, if the home teams get eliminated, I will have discovered who else I can actually watch and enjoy what I see.
If not, I will have even more time to write.
And more time to write means more time to praise God. It only takes a few seconds to check the scores the following morning.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
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