The Pinnacle of Creation

A little Biblical math for you (sort of). First, a key:

g(x) = glory of x; G = God; M = man; W = woman; C = children

g(x) > x except where x = G

"... And the glory of children is their father." - Proverbs 17:6

g(C) = M

"For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God..." - 1 Corinthians 11:7

g(G) = M
g(G) = g(C)

"... but woman is the glory of man." - 1 Corinthians 11:7

g(M) = W
g(M) > g(C)

Therefore,

W > M > C

(The equation breaks down a little here, for we know God is neither equal to
children nor less than man or woman.)

The object admired by the object admired by God, must really be something. Woman appears to be God's finest piece of work. After all, until woman was created things were just "good." Once she came along it was "very good" (Genesis 1-2).

Why Does God Let Christians Lose? Part 3 of 3

As I was saying, there are two big reasons why God would let Christians lose in sport. The first was that God wants Christians to teach the world how to lose. The world needs to know that losing does not define them and it is not a cause for despair.

The second big reason: "God loves resurrections." It's a simple and obvious statement, yet it was revelatory to me. It was said by a math professor of my college roommate's and mine. We were both going through what seemed like insurmountable inner strife. Yet, even though we felt dead on the inside, that's just where God wanted us. He really does like resurrections. And, of course, in order to be resurrected, one must be dead.

In the sport world God loves resurrecting careers. I believe career-resurrections, more than long careers of consistent success, bring Him glory. For when a good player's ability wanes or the ability stays the same yet the results or accolades decline, and then unexpectedly and almost inexplicably, the player's ability or accolades return, it somehow seems more an indication of God working than the player's diligence and natural talent. Be it from injury, a sudden spell of mediocrity, being on a bad team or what have you, when a player comes back from the brink of career "death," that is when people stand back and say, "That was pretty remarkable."

The career-resurrections show that perhaps something larger is at work, something outside the athlete. Most everyone gives up hope on something that is near dead, usually even the player whose career it is. But that is when God shines. He shines when bringing a dead team back to life or a washed-up player back to prominence.

This brings me back to Kurt Warner. To me he is the prime example of someone whose career has been resurrected. He came out of nowhere to win a Super Bowl and record mind-blowing passing and scoring stats with the St. Louis Rams. He was the leader of the "Greatest Show on Turf" as the Rams' offense was called. Yet then his career started to fizzle. He suffered some injuries but they didn't seem like the career-ruining variety. It was as if he lost the touch. The Rams dumped him, he didn't fare well with the New York Giants, and by the time he landed with the Arizona Cardinals he was a has-been. But God wasn't finished. Warner regained his old self and found success again recording incredible numbers. He even led the Cardinals to the Super Bowl. Now if you look at the top three passing yards performances in Super Bowl games, Warner's name is listed 1, 2 and 3. His career is definitely something of a resurrection.

Seriously, what brings God more glory than doing the impossible?

Why Does God Let Christians Lose? Part 2 of 3

God let Kurt Warner and the destined Arizona Cardinals lose a game they had in their clutches. You could almost feel the collective sigh from Christian fans round the country, "Why God?"

I submit two reasons. The first: God most definitely wants Christians to teach the world how to lose. Perhaps even more than teaching the world how to win.

Clearly, the world has mixed priorities if it believes "Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing." A quote uttered by the legendary football coach Vince Lombardi, a man many esteem. If you win, sure things are fine. But if you lose, it's as if the world has ended. I've grown quite accustomed to that feeling having followed the Seattle sports scene (I know, I know... it's sad). If winning is all that matters and you lose, then that's an unhealthy and dreadful way to live. You must have a sense of gratitude about simply playing the game to enjoy it and life.

I've poured, perhaps unwittingly, my heart and soul into Seattle sports only to be rewarded with hypertension, tears and angst. A healthy sense of reality from a Christian who loses serves to counter what I, and likely many fans and fellow athletes, have experienced. A wise loser could show us that truly life can go on after a loss and that there can be contentment even in losing (the film, Fever Pitch with Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon, illustrates this wonderfully). Furthermore, a Christian can prove that when you play for something bigger than the game, whether you win or lose is not the primary concern; glorifying God is. And if you've done that, you can go home happy.

Speaking of loss, a Christian on the losing end of a sports contest could teach us all a thing or two about real loss. It is after all only a game. There is far greater suffering in this world. There are starving children dying. There are persecuted brethren being tortured. We all need to be reminded that in the end we play sports for fun. We're not playing for our lives. For that we can all be thankful. It's conceited and shortsighted to sulk after losing a game, considering that someone in the world is probably dying at that very moment without ever having heard the good news of Jesus.

There can only be one winner. Everyone else loses. Everyone loses at least once in their life. Not everyone wins. Therefore, God reaches more people when His vessels lose. More people will be able to relate to a loser. Additionally, the empathy will truly hit home, for it's in our suffering that we grow and change the most. Character isn't defined in the midst of victory. It's defined in the midst of pain, anguish and defeat. People don't watch and relate as deeply with a winner as they do with a loser. An athlete losing with grace is a powerful statement.

Finally, as an old wounded veteran used to tell me when we played chess: "Losing is better than winning. You learn more when you lose." He's right. There really is only one race that must be won in this life. That is the race to be found faithful to the Lord. With that in mind, to say nothing of the practical lessons losing teaches, we should all be glad for the humility, character, perseverance and compassion that losing instills in us.

Yes, God wants to teach the world how to win humbly with class. But there's so much more to teach in losing; losing with gratitude, grace and peace.