I love football. I always have.
But for something I enjoy so much, it does have a way of frustrating me.
Even when my team wins, I can usually find something to complain about. The defense gave up too many yards. The offense couldn’t move the ball. The coaching was questionable. And don’t even get me started on the officiating.
Sometimes I spend more time bothered by how we won than enjoying the win.
And when we lose? Well, I can usually tell you what went wrong and who’s responsible.
But here’s what I know. At the end of the game, the only thing that really matters is the final score. Nobody gives you extra points for winning pretty, and nobody takes points away because you barely pulled it off.
You were either good enough to win that day, or you weren’t.
I’ve been thinking about how much this sounds like the way I approach my own life.
I can have a reasonably productive day and still spend the evening thinking about everything that went wrong. The things I didn’t finish. The decisions I could have made differently. And all the conversations I wish I’d handled better.
Somehow, I can take a pretty good day and turn it into a disappointing one just by spending too much time second-guessing my actions and decisions.
I suppose I’ve spent a good portion of my life measuring success against some imaginary version of perfection that I’ve never actually managed to achieve.
And probably never will.
Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” — 2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV
I find it interesting that Paul didn’t talk about how well he ran every mile or how many mistakes he made along the way. And if you know much about Paul’s life, you know there were plenty of struggles, disappointments, and things that didn’t go according to plan.
But he kept going. He remained faithful.
I’m not suggesting that we ignore our mistakes or stop trying to improve. There’s nothing wrong with looking back and figuring out what we could have done better. That’s how we grow.
But there’s a difference between learning from yesterday and allowing yesterday’s imperfections to rob us of the joy of today.
Maybe I need to get a little better at recognizing the wins instead of constantly picking apart the way I got there.
After all, some days are going to be ugly.
Some days, I’ll barely get by.
And some days, just getting through everything life throws at me is a pretty significant accomplishment.
I think I’m going to try to enjoy those wins a little more.
Even if the offense didn’t move the ball, at least we weren’t Alabama!
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First Light
www.firstlightblog.org
A daily reflection on faith, leadership, and life. One honest thought each morning to help you start grounded, focused, and full of grace before the world even wakes up.
By Nathan Clark