April 3rd, 2022: My Thoughts As I Watch The Final Four

 

Monday is the Championship game of the Men's Final Four in NCAA Basketball.

There will be no second-best effort because the winner will take all.

We have witnessed both the jubilation of victories and the agony of defeats.

It is much like our life of faith when experiencing both the beauty and the beast.

Sometimes we can feel that God walks with us as we overcome many life's challenges.

We have also gone through moments in life when we feel somehow God is nowhere to be seen on the horizon.

The winners jump for joy and embrace one another when the final buzzer sounds.

The losing team players sit and stare aimlessly at the ground.

Our hearts can experience tremendous gratefulness when the presence of God is ever clear.

Yet, the very same hearts might also go through the deep darkness of the human soul in fear.

For some of these players, there will not be another chance.

Many have played their last game, and this competition will be their final dance.

We are blessed because God knows that we are a working progress.

He gives us chances to learn, grow and sometimes make a mess.

Whether they win or lose, these players will remember the experience at Final Four.

Knowing or not knowing, we grow deeper in our love for God, whom we adore.

James 1:2-4 

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."