Preparing for the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is around the corner, which means Football 101 occurs just about every evening in my household. Shane goes over the basics of the game, whose playing who, what team we are rooting for and why, and of course... how the game is played. Most of which flies right over my head.


"Do you get it?" Shane asked after a detailed discussion of a great offensive strategy.

"Yep." I said noncommittally.

"You have a blank stare." He noted.

"Yep." I answered, clearly not paying attention.


It's not that I am not interested, because I do like to listen when Shane is describing something that is fun for him. No matter what the subject, to watch someone you love get excited about something they treasure is fun. The point is that I really don't "get it". Not the rules... more of the reason behind it.


I have mentioned before that I am not athletically inclined. I ran track for one year and honestly enjoyed the bus rides more than the track. I have never had that drive to push harder when my opponent gets on my tail. "Well, good for them" I think in my head. Something tells me that a competitive athlete has an innate response to competition that differs slightly than mine.


Track is a non contact sport, too! I can not imagine being involved in a contact sport like football. I would run, similar to Forest Gump, simply to avoid being hit! I have a fear of being physically hurt. I can work through mental anguishes, but the idea of bruising or even breaking a bone is reason enough to enjoy the hot cocoa on the side lines rather than play the game. All of this coming from someone who has never broken a bone in her life and whose idea of surgery was getting my braces off in high school.


"Why would you be afraid of getting hurt?" Shane asked during one of my thesis speeches on the ridiculousness of putting yourself in harms way to win a game. "You can't be worried about getting hurt. Hurting is OK, it's the injury you have to avoid."



Again - blank stare.


"Hurting is good." Shane went on. "There is pain that can feel good. It makes you stronger, it builds muscles, makes you tougher, helps you run faster and keeps you alert. Athletes don't fear getting hurt."


He had my attention. That was a new way of looking at sports from my standpoint.


"A competitive, successful athlete doesn't fear getting hurt?" I asked slowly.


"Nope." He answered. "They are not focused on the bumps and bruises, they are focused on playing the best they can in the game. When there is an injury, that's different. The player would have to be smart and put himself above his pride, in order to prevent permanent danger. But, in general, pain can be positive."


This difference is clear to me now.

In football, and the game of life, if you fear the stress and pain that is inevitable when you play the game, you are only settling to be mediocre.

Imagine how life would be different if you didn't fear stress, challenge, change, confrontation and even wining. The football player's game would be altered if his attention moved from performing at his best to avoiding pain at all costs. He would likely be more clumsy and sloppy in his plays. Ironically, he probably would hurt more.

The same is true for all of us in life. The lens we see this "game" we are playing can not include fear or avoidance of struggles and challenges that stretch our abilities and encourage growth. To be stronger and build up the muscle of wisdom, we must be willing to see a challenge as an opportunity to grow, rather than a time to fear a small amount of pain.

I once heard someone say, "If a penny gave up every time it was brushed, then it would never be polished." The football player doesn't quit the game with the soreness of a muscle. We must also commit to playing at the best of our ability, even with a little pain from time to time.