Our Losing Season

Whew, what a basketball season for the mighty "Celtics"--my 10 year old's city league basketball team. We began with a loss, ended with a loss, and pretty much filled up all the middle of the season with losses as well. As my Daddy would say, we were building loads of "character." The writing was on the wall early on: the first couple of games the officials decided to cut the score board off, because the other team was pummeling our beloved Celtics so badly. We did win a game, and, boy, was it was thrilling! You would have thought we had just won the National Championship. Of course, that was waaaaaay back in late december, so since then it has been defeat after defeat--but adding character brick upon character brick. I'm thinking those little guys should be ready for seminary or sainthood by the time the season ends.

The last game of the season was particularly tough. Incredibly, one might say miraculously, the Celtics had a lead. In fact, they had an enormous lead: they were up by 10 points with just 4 minutes left to play. Believe me, in this league, that is practically an insurmountable lead.

Practically insurmountable--as in, apparently, not insurmountable. Because sure enough, the other team got hot and began hitting everything while our poor Celtics looked frozen with panic. Our boys couldn't stop the other team, and we couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. The other team tied it up with about 15 seconds left, then stole the ball from the Celtics, and, wouldn't you know it, scored a 3 pointer at the buzzer. The agony of defeat.

We had brought snacks for the game, and our son had to run upstairs from the

gym--ostensibly to help with snacks but actually so no one would see his tears. Bless their hearts: I know it's just a game, and it really didn't seem to bother them too terribly much most of the season... until that last heart-rending loss.

Sometimes life is hard, isn't it? I know in the big scheme of life, our losing season meant next to nothing. There can be so much sorrow, so much despair, so much unfairness, so much tragedy in this world that a lost game--or a lot of lost games--doesn't exactly rank up there as terribly significant. Still, even if it's just a losing season, we all have them, and God uses them in so many ways to teach us, to refine and shape us, to mold us increasingly into His image. I have always loved C.S. Lewis famous quote about pain: "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

James put it this way: "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4) Help me Lord to learn how to "count it all joy" because I know that You are producing steadfastness and ultimately perfection in each of us through our trials and troubles.

How thankful I am that we have a God who cares. Who cares about our deepest disappointments, our most cherished hopes, our greatest fears, and our hidden weaknesses. And who even cares about some young boys' losing basketball season. When we yield to Him, He will work with and through every single one of those things--whether they bring us great pain or pleasure--to bring about our greater good and His greater glory. He is a God who is always at work, always active, always involved--sometimes in spectacular ways, but sometimes in quiet, almost invisible ways. I remember hearing the quote years ago, "With God, even when nothing is happening, something is happening."

As Beaver whispered excitedly in the midst of the never-ending winter in Narnia, "They say Aslan is on the move." And He is! It may have been winter in Narnia with no hope of Christmas for years and years, but Aslan is on the move! Our God is on the move--in our trials, in our triumphs, in our testings. And in our losing seasons, whatever they may be. Hand Him your losing season and trust that He can and will use it in ways you could never imagine to bring about your ultimate good and His ultimate glory.

He did it at the cross. The greatest tragedy, the most horrific defeat transformed into the most magnificent salvation and the most beautiful redemption. If He did it at the cross, He will just as surely do it with your losing season if you entrust it all to and with Him. To God be the glory forever.