Observations©
By Donald S. Conkey
Date: November 3, 2011 - # 1144a - Title: What’s required to become real winners? (751)
Americans
love their sports heroes be they high school, college or professional. Why, because they see them as winners and someone they
would like to emulate. Most American youth, especially boys dream of being winners. Last Thursday and Friday millions of Americans
watched the St. Louis Cardinals come back from the brink of defeat to win baseball’s Fall Classic, baseball’s
World Championship – plus the championship ring, baseball’s ultimate prize.
And on Friday night another hero was created: David Freeze, the Cardinal’s third baseman was named
MVP of baseball’s championship playoffs and was given a new automobile. Every Little League third baseman in America
will now take note of David Freeze and try and emulate him. On August 25 David Freeze was just another
third baseman playing for a team ten and half games behind the Atlanta Braves in the wildcard chase - with no thought of becoming
America’s Fall Classic MVP.
But the Atlanta Braves stumbled and lost the wild card on the last day of the season giving the Cardinals and Freeze the opportunity they
needed to become World Champions for the 11th time. And when this opportunity opened up both Freeze and the Cardinals
were prepared to take advantage of the gift the Braves had given them. And it was a gift, a gift by a talented team but didn’t
have that consuming burning desire, or leadership, needed to become the champions.
I reference baseball’s annual Fall
Classic but I could have used any sport because each sport has their own ‘playoffs’ beginning with Little League
through the professional ranks. And these sports playoffs make my point: winners are prepared at all times to take advantage
of any competitive opportunity that comes their way. In the Fall Classic we saw sports competition at its best. This World
Series provided a powerful example of why one should never give up, either in sports or in life. On that field you saw professional
athletics well prepared playing as a team and playing competitively by the rules of the game with a strong desire and exceptional
talent to win; and managed by skilled managers.
And these are all the elements one needs one needs to win in the game of life. Most youth have their sports heroes and many
try to emulate their lives, some with success, others fail to make the cut; for a variety of reasons, including an unwillingness
to ‘pay the price” of becoming a winner. Others fall by the wayside because of a lack of desire or of real talent.
Still others are never privileged to play for winning managers like Tony LaRussa who are able to develop the innate talents
of their team’s players.
But while there are losers in competitive sports there need be no losers in the game of life. And life is a game and
all players, male and female, can be winners. And the cheering and applause may only come from parents, siblings, and friends
as they cross the finish line of life and there hear their Savior’s reassuring words “Well done thou good and
faithful servant.” (Matt 25:21)
To
become winners, be it in the world of sports or in life itself, the requirements are the same: desire, effort, a goal (life’s
World Championship ring is eternal life), continuous study, especially of the rules of life, hard work, and a good manager
to help them correct their mistakes and failures and encourages them to move forward in spite of their failures. Winners all
experience failures.
And if one’s goal in the race of life is eternal life one
must keep their eye on that goal and study and live by those rules that govern life and leads to that coveted prize. Yes, just as sports have rule books, life too has its rule book – it’s called the Bible
and all participants in life must, if they want to hear their Savior’s reassuring words, learn the rules of life outlined
in this book in order to claim their coveted prize of eternal life. Life’s ultimate manager encouraged all of life’s
participants when he declared: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they
which testify of me.” (John 5:39)
Winners, in both sports and life, always study, ponder and live by the rules of their game and then
are judged by those rules. What ’ere your game - know and live by the rules and become a winner.
PS: Winners are also responsible – vote Tuesday!
