Nothing to Lose

Fall is a beautiful time of year.

It brings clear blue skies littered by clouds heavy with rain.  Cool Saturday nights made warmer with bond fires and roasted marshmallows. Pumpkin pie and holidays to celebrate giving thanks.

And of course fall would not be fall without football.

More and more I find myself rooting for the underdog. The game is more exciting when the team with less prestige and less talent and poorer boosters hangs in the game and sometimes even finds a way to win.

I root for the undergo because I find it inspiring and encouraging to watch a team that plays like they have nothing to lose.

When the favored team goes down by a few touchdowns early in the first half, they often take on a certain look. Confusion takes the place of clarity. Doubt overwhelms confidence.

Their eyes widen. They seem uncertain of where to be or who to block. Their movements are one step slower than usual. Hand-offs are fumbled. Receivers start looking for who might hit them just before they catch the ball. Players hang their heads.

They have a look of fear.

Fear of losing not just the game, but everything they associate with winning. A #1 ranking? Prestige? The championship?

photo by Jelle Boontje (stock.xchng)

Once a team lets this fear set in, then they have already lost. They will not be the same. Eventually another team will beat them. If not today, then soon.

The only way to win in football is to give it your best, one play at a time. Stop worrying about the consequences. Stop trying to hold onto all the accolades that come with winning.

Start playing the game NOW.

The underdogs can play like they have nothing to lose. Nobody expects them to win anyways, so why not just try to win? Why not take risks? Why not just try to do the impossible?

One of the reasons I do so little for God is because I have too much to lose. I am afraid of taking risks. I am afraid of what can be taken away from me.

My comfort.

My wealth.

My traditions.

My one way of seeing God.

My recliner and my sitting in it watching college football.

My way of life that I love so much and have worked hard to obtain.

My kids. My wife.

These are good things to want and to have, but if I am afraid of losing them, then they act as paralytics and I sit lifeless in the illusion of security that they bring.

When we hand all of these things over to God and trust him for whatever life might bring, then we can start playing the game like we have nothing to lose.

Why not just give up everything we are holding on to and give it to God?

Why not?

Share what is holding you back here.