Hope

Put your hope in God (Psalm 42:5).

When two sports compete, fans get excited. There is hope for victory. There is nervousness about player injury. There are thrills when someone makes a big play. There are groans over bone-headed mistakes. And fans get angry when their team gets penalized for a rules violation.

Fans want their team to win decisively. But fans also want excitement, and it is not exciting to watch a team stomp their opponents into the ground. As a matter of fact, it seems like poor sportsmanship when one side runs up the score needlessly.

When it comes to sports, we crave excitement and drama. We relish victory and get frustrated at lousy performance. Yet through good times and bad, a fan sticks with his team. No matter how bad things get, there is always hope for a better season next year.

If only we approached life this way. Our weeks are filled with highs and lows, reasons to rejoice and reasons to get aggravated. We are pleasantly surprised when something great happens; we are caught off guard by bone-headed mistakes. Sometimes everything is going great; other times it seems as if you can’t catch a break.

When a team has an off season, their fans will suffer patiently and hope for things to turn around. But when life gets frustrating, we are much less optimistic. We give up on relationships instead of committing to make them better. Couples give up on marriage and file for divorce. Mothers give up on parenthood and get an abortion. Employees give up on their jobs and walk away. People give up on their lives and commit suicide.

Instead of throwing in the towel, we would be better off acting like a sports fan. When things are going badly, look at the coach—as frustrated as he might get, he never gives up until the final whistle blows. He is an inspiration to fans as well as players. If you have confidence in the coach, you keep hoping for things to turn around.

Jesus is our coach. When things are going against us, He offers reassurance and direction. He never gives up. He guarantees victory if we will just trust Him. You might be caught in a losing streak right now, but Jesus offers hope for better days ahead.