Playing Our Best in the Closing of the Last Quarter

There are a lot of lessons we learn in life through playing and watching sport. These include how to persist when the scoreboard is not going your way, the benefits of focused practice, the importance of having good peripheral vision that can provide a broader perspective, the importance of teamwork and being committed to play our best and get the best from our team mates. Over the September break, we saw two grand final matches where both teams gave their very best effort right to the end. A ‘wow’ moment for me was straight after the match when Cameron Smith, captain of the losing Melbourne Storm team, had an informal chat to the television crew on the ground. He commented that no rugby league supporter could be disappointed that Cronulla had won. Later, he went on to deliver what was described as one of the best losing speeches.

Accomplishment is not just about winning, it is about knowing that we have given our best and supported others to do the same. It is having the capacity in those final moments of the game, when we are tired, to lift ourselves and others to higher levels that makes all the difference. In our spiritual lives we are also encouraged to run a good race to the end and to keep the faith as we read in Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”. Keeping faith in a loving gracious God enables us to run the good race right to the end in all aspects of life.