|
My rule for watching soccer, or futbol as the rest of the world refers to it, is simple. I only watch it if one of my sons is playing. Both of them did at one time, but now they do not. So I don’t watch anymore.
However, I did follow this year’s World Cup through newspaper reports and ESPN updates. If you did not keep up with what is reputedly the biggest event in what appears to be the world’s most popular sport, Team USA managed to lose to Ghana and to the Czech Republic. Their match with Italy ended in a tie.
While it is a significant accomplishment just to qualify to play in the World Cup, the US team was expected to do better. After all, they were the US team and if we play, then we win. The only thing worse than two losses was the tie. With the tie, no one wins.
Granted, the tie was against Italy and Italy did go on to win the World Cup. Ironically, when regulation time had ended in the final match between Italy and France, the score was tied. There was no way you could have two World Cup champions. They went into sudden death. Italy prevailed. The whole country went crazy. You would have thought they had just won the Superbowl, the World Series, and beaten Florida all at the same time.
I did not see much celebrating going on in our country. Granted, we had just finished the 4th of July, so maybe we were tired of celebrating. But think about it — Italy, the World Cup Champion, could not beat us. That makes us at least as good as them. Shouldn’t we at least get a share of the cup?
I know, I know –– that is not the way it works. Our team did not win the game that mattered. Our team did not even play in the game that mattered. In this world, losers and “tie-ers” don’t celebrate. Winners do.
Most of the time that is the way. But every once in awhile, we get a glimpse of a different kind of world. Hope Word had just such a glimpse while coaching an athlete in the Special Olympics.
Her athlete was in Lane 5. The starter’s gun sounded and the runners surged forward. The runner in Lane 5 took an early lead and then slowed down. His friend in the next lane was a step or two behind him. When his friend caught up, he started to run again. They ran together all the way to the finish line. “We tied, we tied!” they shouted together.
They were “special,” not aware of the values that so predominate the world in which we live. While most of us might think that their story is heartwarming, we know that is not the world in which we live.
Nonetheless, there is a world coming where the poor, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted, and even those who mourn are blessed. It is coming from somewhere far beyond what we can imagine. Sometimes, if we have eyes to see, we see it — not coming, but here in our midst.
Joy and peace,
Ed
|
