Watching the Super Bowl, I couldn’t help but root for the Giants. The combination of having two former college teammates playing with G-men and having lost 8 consecutive times to the Pats during my tenure in Buffalo made the decision easy. As the game unfolded and the drama finished, the familiar scene of confetti and streamers engulfed the picture on the screen. The uncomfortable tension between victors and the vanquished quickly vanishes and the celebration begins.
It seems as though I spent the majority of my playing career on the side of the silenced locker room. Usually the only sound you hear is the shuffling of guys changing and bags being packed. Undoubtedly, someone will slam something and shout an obscenity but that’s normal. Some games just hurt; and the ones that do usually last a long time. It’s difficult to convey what that feels like. To work so hard for a goal and miss it by such a narrow margin is haunting. In fact, it’s probably worse to have made it that far and missed than not making it there at all. I never played in a Super Bowl but I still remember my mistakes in games we lost. I can only imagine what that feels like at that magnitude. But after the game, you just try to cope and turn the page. Some guys stew in their thoughts, other guys party but everyone has to deal with it.
Such is life though. It seems that we find ourselves dealing with disappointments often. Nobody enjoys the sleepless nights of wondering what might have been. The storms of life rage and the waves of pain can crush people. So what do we hold on to? How do we make sense of it? The best advice I can give is to ask the right question. Resist the urge to ask “why” and instead ask, “what now?” Even the worst of pains are but temporary; the ship eventually sails and the storm subsides. So when the dust settles, will you be better or on your way to bitter. That’s cliché, I know but if you don’t allow the adversity to grow you in maturity, you’ve missed the entire point of the trial in the first place.
Meanwhile, on the field, the celebration rages on. Smiles and hugs all around as the champs bask in the glory of their accomplishment. There’s no question that this is a once in a lifetime experience. I was blessed to be on my fair share of championship sports teams and the thrill of winning it all is amazingly rewarding. The only problem is… it never lasts. That exhilaration is difficult to recapture and the realization that it’s over hits not too long after it does for those on the losing side. So how do we handle success? What’s appropriate for the moment?
My suggestion would be to enjoy it! Take a step back and remember all the effort, toil and defeats that happened on the way to this moment. It’s darn sweet to receive a kingly wage for the work you’ve put forth. So jump around like a kid! Smile, shout, cry, and be happy. Yet in the moment, also take time to be thankful. You’ve achieved a great thing but it’s impossible to think you’ve done it alone. Give praise to God for the life He’s given you; For the air you breathe, the blood in your veins and the day of victory that has come to pass. Otherwise you’re like a turtle on a fencepost… bragging about how great you are sitting up there. Turtles don’t jump, can’t climb, and don’t fly. Someone put you there. And the hand that carried you deserves the real praise.
