Putting the Double-Doink Behind By Matt Schneider

The 2018 Chicago Bears had an amazing season winning the NFC North for the first time in eight years, and yet, the season will be remembered by two words: “double-doink.” The Bears lost their wild-card game due to a missed field goal that clanked off of not one, but two uprights, and kept the bears from advancing into the divisional round. The double-doink ended the Bears' season and will be a constant reminder for them in 2019 if they don’t mentally acknowledge it's in the past and there are new opportunities for future success. Championship teams are not always the most talented, but they overcome adversity by believing they can still win the game no matter what has previously happened. I played AAU basketball for a summer, and my new coach had a rule for whenever we made a mistake in practice. He implored us to yell out “next play!” no matter if we threw the ball out of bounds or made a sharp backdoor pass for a layup. It was always about the future and preparing for what lies ahead in the game, regardless of the score. Because my coach made each player focus on future plays, it helped me mentally realize the only thing I could control was my effort. I was able to focus on the next play because the previous play was over. This is easier said than done (ask any golfer who plunks one in the drink how hard this is), but it is possible, and the best athletes do this well. The Bears players, head coach Matt Nagy, and the new kicker they decide on, have to focus on the future in order to continue this new winning tradition. Deadspin.com put it best with their headline, "Matt Nagy Needs to Get Over The Double-Doink." When it comes to our own lives, do we dwell on the "double-doinks" or do we move forward with a "next play" mentality? The Apostle Paul gives us an important challenge in Philippians 3:12-14: “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me His own. "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Through faith in Christ and being made His own, we can have the confidence to move forward. Paul was rarely concerned with past disappointments and sin. Instead, he was renewed by how God’s grace in the present changed his life for Gods' purposes in the future. Today, let's ask ourselves how we respond after a mistake...and be confident that the “next play” is what God wants us to respond to in faith. Bear Down! Chicago Bears! I'm Matt Schnieder and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I desire to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus as I look ahead. I believe You're doing something in me and through me right now and I don't need to dwell on the past. Thank you for Your grace that covers my sins. Please strengthen me to move forward with confidence. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. *Matt Schneider, a University of North Carolina grad, is currently on staff with Cru while also attending Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis. Discussion Questions for PACKS: 1. What double-doink in your life have you had the toughest time moving on from? 2. What holds you back from moving forward and no longer dwelling on your past mistakes?