On your mark, get set, go!

Yesterday my lacrosse team won our conference championship title. A freshman, of all players, scored with 3 seconds left on the clock to push us to an 11-10 victory over the reigning champs. The pandemonium that followed was something to behold. The team ran to hug our goalie across the field, as two seniors ceremoniously poured the contents of our water cooler over our surprised head coach. There were tears, smiles and laughter.

In the midst of all this excitement I was left speechless. Have you ever felt so full of emotions that you physically can't express even just one? I was so happy for our win, full of pride for my boys, and also sad knowing that my time with them would soon be over. As one by one came to hug me I realized that while the victory is the icing on the cake, the cake itself is enough. Every one of them has touched my heart in some way and that wouldn't have changed with or without a victory.

Sports are so much like life. Every person on every team tries day after day to be better, to do more, to make a difference. Individual effort is important but one person can't win a game. You need every player on board and striving for an individual goal. Then this individual goal is a goal that multiple, hundreds actually, of teams are striving for. You can't put in the effort during just one game and expect to win it all. You have to dedicate yourself and give all you have every game and practice all season long. Sometimes even that isn't enough. The friendly competition is important to sports but one thing that always makes me think is that their can only be one winner. Someone always has to lose. Sometimes we don't play to our potential and can blame a loss on that. The harder experience is when you play your best, give your all and you still don't end up on top.

We can't win all the time. Its inevitable that we are going to lose. Whether its a fight with the car, or our computer, or its something bigger like losing someone you couldn't help. It's going to happen. Others are striving for the same goals, and not everyone can reach it. In many cases, only one person out of the billion on the planet can reach it. Knowing that doesn't make us try any less hard. We still work towards the idea of success, the idea of winning it all. And that is part of who we are as human beings. Society dictates that we continually strive for more. New technology, new jobs, new advances....we are conditioned to have a need to keep up, to have to work towards more. The game will never be over until the ultimate victory is achieved....being welcomed into God's kingdom.

In life there are no three strikes, no timed clocks, no referees. It's just us, our faith, our motivation, and our perseverance. All we can do is enjoy the ride, enjoy the little victories and appreciate how lucky we are to win at all. Batter up!