Move-on-to-the-next-game life strategies

[A little late in publishing this here...oh, well, hope it's helpful still!]

Well, that was a huge flop. I’m reeling today over the Chiefs’ beatdown by the Bucs in the Super Bowl. I mean, it was ugly. The Bucs seriously played a great game. They were practically flawless. Almost everything they did worked perfectly on offense and defense.

But as a Chiefs’ fan, it was hard to watch. Oh, well, there’s always next year!

What do you do when life beats you down? Do you ever feel like you just got smoked? Nothing you do turns out right. Always a step or two behind. Trying to catch up but you just can’t seem to get on track.

Here are four move-on-to-the-next-game strategies you might be able to use.

1. It’s okay to tell God you’re hurting. Let’s face it, sometimes the circumstances of life stink. We make bad decisions that prove costly. We end up as collateral damage from somebody else’s reckless behavior. Or we simply get caught up in a pandemic that has knocked millions to the ground in all kinds of ways.

Take it to the Lord! “Now let us have a little talk with Jesus, let us tell Him all about our troubles. He will hear our faintest cry, and He will answer by and by.” He really does care about what you’re going through. He loves you more than you know. And you can cry out to Him with your hurts, your pain, your tears, and your fears. “Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

2. Ask God for help. Not only does He care, He can do something about it. In another song the chorus goes: “Take it to the One who calmed the waters, take it to the One who really cares, take it to the One who made the lame to walk again. Get on your knees and handle with prayer.” 

Jeremiah 32:27 says, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for Me?” If He calmed the raging sea with a word and made the lame to walk again, don’t you think He can come through in your situation? He’s the God of all creation – ask Him for some help.

3. Trust Him to act. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Trust His ways, His provision, His timing, and His purposes. He’s probably not going to ask for your advice in how He should handle it, but His thoughts and His wisdom are much higher than yours, so wait upon the Lord and trust Him even through the valley.

4. Get up and take the next step. You should certainly learn from the past, but you can’t dwell there. “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

In the strength God provides and by the light of His Word, get up and take the next step of faith. Follow where He leads. Obey His voice. You might be down, but you’re not out – not when you belong to Jesus.

And if you don’t yet know Him as Savior, now’s a good time to believe. We need to be ready for the next game.