Heading into this year’s college basketball season, we knew it would be Duke head coach, Mike Krzyzewski's, final one.
As the team journeyed through Coach K’s retirement tour, he was honored and recognized along the way, while the team played well on the court, winning the ACC regular-season conference title.
This past Saturday night was a momentous occasion for Coach K, as it marked his final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium in front of the packed and dedicated Duke home crowd.
But despite the amazing celebratory evening (with almost 100 former players in attendance), the game ended with UNC knocking off Duke 94-81.
Although the team wanted to win this one for Coach K, they didn't pull it off and his special farewell turned out to be somewhat spoiled.
As a Duke fan, this loss was extremely disappointing and hard to watch, which led to these unanswered questions racing through my mind:
How could this happen?
Was the team too distracted?
Did they let their emotions get the best of them?
Were they unprepared for what their opponent could do to them?
Was the night more about looking back on Coach K’s career than it was about the present game?
Was the team too comfortable after blowing UNC out the first game of the season?
Were they already looking ahead to the ACC tournament or NCAA tournament since they already secured the ACC regular-season crown?
Did Duke just run out of energy or was their defense just not good enough?
While UNC did a great job winning in that type of environment, seeing Duke stumble the way they did, was painful for me.
Following the game, Coach K had this to say to the crowd in attendance: "Today was unacceptable, but the season has been very acceptable. And the season isn't over, all right?"
His perspective is correct because the team is still alive and remains one of the top teams in the country. Ultimately, the best way to finish Coach K's career is by winning the National Championship and the good news is this loss doesn't prevent them from being victorious in what matters most.
They have reason to be unhappy about their big loss, yet their plans and goals go beyond the regular season. Despite this being a setback, it doesn’t have to derail them for long.
Today I want to unpack how we can parallel elements of this situation to our own lives.
When we set out on our journey to follow Jesus, we plan on “winning every game” for Him and want to shine in big moments for Him. However, even though we want to do what’s right, sometimes we stumble, lose in a surprising way, and make mistakes.
James 3:2 (NLT) reminds us, “Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.”
When mistakes happen, or our plans don’t play out the way we thought they would, it can be very disappointing and painful.
During these times when we fail and fall short, we're filled with these questions:
How could this happen?
Did we get too distracted?
Did we let our emotions get the best of us?
Were we unprepared to handle the opponent’s attack?
Were we too busy looking back on previous successes?
Did we get too comfortable?
Were we worried about the future and not focused on the present?
Did we run out of energy or was our defense just not good enough?
These are good questions to ask so we can learn and grow. At the same time, I think we should have a similar perspective as Coach K following a loss: "Today was unacceptable, but the season has been very acceptable. And the season isn't over, all right?"
We must confess our mistakes and sins and agree with God that they're unacceptable, but we must also remember that because of our faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we're declared acceptable by God through grace.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT) tells us, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
We can’t allow a “loss” to derail us for long because our “season isn’t over,” and God’s utmost goals and plans for us go beyond the “regular season.” We may let Him down for a night, but thankfully, He's still with us, even after a setback.
We can all be encouraged by the Psalmist's prayer in Psalm 73:23-26 (NLT):
"Yet I still belong to You;
You hold my right hand.
You guide me with Your counsel,
leading me to a glorious destiny.
Whom have I in heaven but You?
I desire You more than anything on earth.
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
He is mine forever.”
It's good news that a loss in the "regular season" doesn't prevent us from being victorious in what matters most since “...thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57; ESV).
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for Your grace when I stumble and when I’m weak. I know I’m forgiven, saved, and victorious because of Jesus. I pray I’d remain surrendered to You so I can do Your will and walk the path You’ve laid out for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Discussion Questions for PACKS:
How do you continue to walk in victory when you stumble and lose?
When you do "lose," why is it important to remember "the season isn't over"?
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