Wins and losses

Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
(Psalm 139:23-24)

If you’re a sports fan, the last few weeks have been full of gripping action. As I write this, I don’t know what the football and Wimbledon Finals will bring, but whatever happens it will be gripping! Then we’ve got the Olympics to look forward to in a few weeks too, not to mention all the other sports we can enjoy at the moment!
 
The Press always have an opinion on the wins and losses, but I’m always more interested in hearing from the players and their coaches. There is always a lot of emotion, whether that is elation or disappointment, but beyond that there is always insightful reflection. In her press conference after losing in the fourth round at Wimbledon, Emma Raducanu said,
 
“I need to take the lessons that I can from it, watch it back, improve and keep going.”
 
I’m so impressed by how the players draw lessons from the experiences they have so they are ready to try again at their next opportunity. This is a practice that we can certainly learn in our Christian lives, and in fact has been part of the spiritual lives of Christians for centuries.
 
St Ignatius of Loyola was a priest born around 1500 and he wrote about a spiritual practice called the Examen. The idea is to look back and examine (hence the name!) our day. Where have we experienced times of consolation, life, and being close to God? Where have we experienced times of desolation, moving away from God, and that sinking feeling? Just like our sports players who look for the parts of their game that went well and the bits that didn’t, so we can notice the parts of our day where we’ve particularly felt God at work, and the times when we haven’t.
 
The Press are often critical and unkind to sports players, finding ways to blame or put them down. But their coaches don’t do this. Gareth Southgate once said, “Failure is not final, it's just a stepping stone to success.” The coaches are always looking for ways to bring new life into the players’ game, ways to build them up, to help them to grow into the best players they can be. And this is what we find in God.
 
As we look back over our day, thinking about the times we’ve drawn close to Him and the times where we’ve moved away, God doesn’t condemn us or criticise us. Instead, through His Holy Spirit, God helps us to see how we can grow and change. He encourages us in the times we’ve stuck close to Him, even when under pressure; and He helps us to see where we might need to change the way we think or act, and supports us as we try to change.
 
But not only that, He comforts and rejoices. The coaches are with the players in the joys and the upsets, supporting them and holding them as they go through the rollercoaster of emotions that their wins and losses bring. The hugs after a match, whether they are hugs of joy or sympathy, are a moving moment not just for the players, but for us spectators too. And God is with us in our ups and downs, our consolations and our desolations, ready to give us that hug and urge us on.
 
A prayer - Lord God, thank you that you are the best coach we could ever hope to have. Help us to notice where we draw closer to you and where we drift away. Rejoice with us in our wins, and comfort us in our losses. Help us to grow and change. Amen.
 
Photo by Carlo Bazzo on Unsplash