I don't like fair-weathered sports fans. They bother me. I'm irritated when people begin leaving the stadium in the middle of the fourth quarter because of what the scoreboard says.
When a team is losing and a "fan" gets up and exits before the game is finished they are essentially saying, "Dear Team, you are not looking successful right now and you are most likely not going to win this one so I'm going to quit on you, abandon you, so that I don't have to watch the excruciating outcome." Ouch. But that's just sports. Can you imagine what would happen if we humans treated each other like that? Oh, wait a minute...we do...
Yep, it's lecture time. But trust me, I'm delivering this one to myself while looking directly into the mirror.
I was recently at a football game that went into 2OT. I don't think a lot of people left that game early. The cheering and encouragement pouring out from every crevice of that stadium was deafening. If you've ever been at a sporting event you know the drill - the louder you scream and clap, the better the outcome will be. It's a simple fact. And that strong, extravagant enthusiam mixed with powerful emotion is something called "passion."
I want to be able to say I have lived my life with the amount of passion that pours out of football stadiums all over the country during this time of year. I want to be able to say that I cheered on "my teammates" (fellow human beings) with as much passion as I did my football team. But frankly, sometimes I'm just as guilty as the next person in tearing people down with my words...or lack of words.
I'll admit it. I tend to lean on the side of pessimism and can lack compassion in a lot of areas. It's something I can work on. It's probably something I will work on until the day I die. But I do find that with God's grace I get a little better at it each day. I'm not telling you to hand over the keys to your front door to every person you meet - use some wisdom. What I am saying is that after someone gets "sacked" by those big, burly linemen, your words have the potential to pull that person up off the ground with an encouraging smack on the behind OR to stomp on their head and knock them around so they REALLY feel somethin' in the morning.
Our words are that powerful.
Nobel Prize winner Elias Canetti once said, "Speak as though it were the last sentence allowed you." Next time you open your mouth, think about what you're saying and why you're saying it. Be about building up and not tearing down.
The friend, neighbor or stranger who may be dealing with a rough day, depression, or an addiction can benefit from your unwaivering support and encouragement. They may fail nine times out of 10 but there's always a chance that on that tenth time they get a win. There's hope in that thought. Try to recognize people's worth - their potential, their beauty, their success...and just maybe we can see someone's 0-12 losing streak turn into a winning season!
Fino alla prossima volta (until the next time)...
Heather
