WACKY WEDNESDAY WISDOM- Super Glad to Share Victories With Others

     Like most other human beings on planet Earth, I tuned into the Super Bowl on Sunday night. I've always enjoyed the game itself, but to be honest, the commercials were a highlight for me in years past. Nowadays, not so much. The games have improved, often being settled in the last seconds and the advertisers have already used most of the really funny stuff in years past and are getting more and more desperate (tasteless?) to find new material to make people laugh out loud.
     And the food. Mamma Mia! As you know from some of my previous writings, I am a semi-disciplined health nut as it pertains to what I eat and drink. Items that don't make their way into my belly include alcohol (4 ounces of grape juice each day instead), sugar drinks, or milk that isn't fat free. I hardly ever eat cheeseburgers, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, fried chicken, or funnel cakes despite my love for those things. But I must admit that on Super Bowl Sunday, I toss all that out the window. I inhaled chili, cornbread, crackers, shrimp dip, and for good measure, threw down on some strawberry cheesecake for dessert, prepared by yours truly.
     The good thing about it was that I had one of my coaching friends to share all the fatty food and football frivolity with me. We used to have our kids with us but they've all grown up and found better options for Super Bowl Sunday so we were pretty much left to discuss all the ins, outs, and strategies all by ourselves. But that was okay. We had a blast. We had the food, the game, and each other.
     We noticed a lot more than just the commercials. After the game the coach for the victorious Eagles was quick to give praise and glory to the Lord, which we were glad to hear. And it was obvious as we watched the Eagles hug and embrace each other, that they were indeed a family. The quarterback kissed his small child over and over before and during the obligatory "I'm going to Disney World" commercial. Coaches and players alike hugged their wives and family members. Everyone was enjoying the moment and most of all, they were enjoying being together, kinda like me and my friend watching them.
     That whole scene made me flashback to an interview with a victorious Super Bowl coach several years back. The coach was Jimmy Johnson, who is now a respected commentator, and he was describing what it was like to be the winning head coach in a Super Bowl back during his Dallas Cowboy days.
     The interviewer asked him who he hung out with and celebrated with afterward. His reply shocked me. He hung out with nobody. After the locker room champagne showers, he made his way out to the parking lot where a limo was waiting for him. He got in and rode by himself back to the hotel, where he spent the rest of the evening enjoying his victory. . .  alone.
     He had won a Super Bowl, but in the process, the pursuit of that goal had cost him his marriage and his family at that time. And his obsession with winning football games had left him little time to establish friendships. So there he was, during perhaps his finest moment, all by himself.
     I'm a coach. I know what it's like to be driven to win, win, win. And we all want to hoist trophies in the air as champions. But may God have mercy on me if I ever sacrifice my marriage, my family, and my friendships in pursuit of an earthly goal. There's nothing wrong with the championships. They are fantastic. And the Eagles showed you can have your priorities right in life and still be able to scale the mountain to the top. But I truly feel sorry for the person (player, coach, fan, or whoever) who sells their proverbial soul in pursuit of a piece of hardware and fleeting bragging rights.
     Matthew 6:33 reminds us to "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you."  It doesn't say "Seek ye these things". I think we humans miss the boat on that sometimes. We seek the things and expect God to help us get those things, when the verse clearly says these things are by-products of seeking God first. And Matthew 6:19-20 advises us not to seek treasures on earth, but lay up treasures in Heaven. Maybe seeking Him first will lead to great championships in life, but it's more likely seeking Him will lead to small triumphs in every day life. Either way, I pray for myself and anybody reading this, that when we achieve a victory in life, no matter how large or small, there will be someone there with whom we can share a high five or a hug. And then we can head off to Disney World. Together.