Chapter 5 - Winners and Losers

A quick turn of the page and we are looking at chapter 5 of Stephen Altrogge's Game Day for the Glory of God. The focus of this chapter is the winning and losing aspect of sports. Altrogge makes the point that for every winner, there is a loser. He states, "God has ordained that our lives be spent in both the winner's circle and the loser's bracket, and he wants us to learn how to please him in both places." Altrogge identifies a series of temptations that accompany both winning and losing. Then, he gives a remedy for each temptation. First, the temptations that come with victory:

1. The Temptation of Achievement
The Remedy: "The humble athlete battles the temptation of achievement by recognizing that all success and achievement come from the hand of God." (pg. 75)

2. The Temptation of Image
The Remedy: "The humble athlete battles the temptation of image by realizing that only God is truly glorious." (pg. 76)

3. The Temptation of Vindication
The Remedy: "The humble athlete fights the temptation of vindication by realizing that he's little and weak." (pg. 77)

4. The Temptation of Superiority
The Remedy: "The humble athlete combats the temptation of superiority by realizing that God is infinitely superior to him." (pg. 77)

And the temptations that come with defeat:

1. The Temptation to Criticize
The Remedy: "We must realize that criticism is a fruit of pride. The proud man is quick to criticize those around him because he believes they make many more mistakes than he does." (pg. 81)

2. The Temptation to Agonize
The Remedy: "Agonizing over or being crushed by a loss is an indicator that we're not trusting God, who sovereignly arranges all things to work for our good." (pg. 82)

3. The Temptation of Shame
The Remedy: "The final truth that will help us in the midst of a loss is to realize that we have no image to maintain. Shame in sports is often the result of failing to meet the expectations of others." (pg. 82)

Altrogge closes the chapter with an important reminder about our perspective on winning and losing: "No matter how significant they may seem, all our wins and losses are very insignificant in the grand scheme of things. There are no lives hanging in the balance, nor is the peace of the free world dependent on whether we win or lose." So....winning isn't EVERYTHING?