When a Game Reminds Us of Reality

A few weeks ago, like many of you, I filled out my NCAA Tournament Bracket hoping to see success in picking the winner of the biggest college basketball tournament of the year. And, as always, in the first week my bracket seemed to quickly start falling apart because teams I picked to win ended up losing. I do it every year because it’s always fun and I enjoy bragging if I do well, which I never get to do! But it also makes watching the games a lot more fun because I have a vested interest. So last Sunday, after the family left and the house was empty, I was going to sit down and watch the Louisville/Duke game. I had picked both of these teams to meet in the tournament, so I was really excited to watch a great basketball game. And that’s exactly what was happening until there were about six minutes left in the first half, which is when Louisville player Kevin Ware went up to block a shot. I really wasn’t paying attention to him but instead watched as the Duke player who made the shot headed back to defend his basket. He was messing around with his face and eyes to the point that I thought he’d been poked in the eye, but then the announcer came on saying that Ware had been hurt on the play. Thanks to modern television I was able to back up and watch the play, and after seeing it once I was sick to my stomach. A young man broke his leg while just trying to make a play, and it was horrible to see. Immediately you could see teammates and those in the crowd crying at the trauma of what was happening. All of a sudden, basketball was the last thing anyone cared about. The good news is that he was well taken care of at the arena, the surgery went well to repair his leg, and they say he will recover to play basketball again. And in case you missed it, he called his teammates around before being taken to the hospital and told them not to focus on him but to win, and that’s exactly what they did!

Life is like that for each of us. We can be cruising through life and things are looking good, but then all of a sudden a crisis hits that can derail us if we’re not careful. Yes, taking some time to put ourselves together may be required, but then it’s time to get back into the game. Don’t let setbacks keep you from accomplishing God’s plan for your life!