Your college softball and baseball teams didn’t win as many games as you’d have liked. Just short of a title. Or maybe just barely out of last place.
Yuck.
But … all is not lost.
There are conference tournaments. And if your bad or sort-of-good team snuck in, even through the back door, that team you root for could STILL win the conference tournament and STILL get into the national tournament for a shot at the World Series.
The conference tournament means a new opportunity. Didn’t win half your games? Well, that was then. You could win your conference tournament and win the World Series next month.
The regular season was a Laurel and Hardy routine? Forget it. You start the conference tournament with a clean slate.
It’s a bit like Opening Day in the big leagues. You can lose opening day and still finish 161-1. Not bad. Opening Day won’t decide your fate.
You can strike out four times on Opening Day and still lead the league in hitting by season’s end. Make three errors and still earn a Golden Glove during the long summer ahead.
Opening Day reminds you that it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.
On a smaller scale, conference tournaments are the same thing. You can forget what’s behind and concentrate on what’s ahead.
Jeremiah knew what it was like to lose. Of all the Old Testament prophets, Jerry might have had it the worst, at least on the surface. Jerusalem lost a lot more than its season. It was practically booted out of the league. Babylon was in the middle of a dynasty, and everyone else was playing for second.
But …
“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)
Jeremiah had faith in tomorrow because he knew who held both today and tomorrow — and his hand.
It could be that you’ve booted things around long enough. But what was true for Jeremiah is true for us. God is faithful. His mercies are not new on just Wednesdays or every other weekend. His mercies are offered to us each morning.
God is not good at giving up on people. If you are in a losing streak of Biblical proportions, if you need hope, He is the author of it. He is crazy over you. If you need a new Opening Day, another shot in the postseason, He is a man you should meet.
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu