Winning And Losing . . . Teaching And Learning

Winning and Losing . . . Teaching and Learning

The great Tom Landry once said, “When you want to win a game, you have to teach. When you lose a game, you have to learn.” Well, when I played sports growing up, I did a lot of learning. I don’t know if I was the common denominator for being on losing teams, but I sure did seem to learn a lot during those times of disappointment.

One of my hardest seasons was playing Little League baseball at the senior-division level. This age group went right up to eighth grade. I was a tad overweight and didn’t move very fast. As a matter of fact, my own team would pretend to clock me on my way to first base by chanting, “January, February, March, April . . .”

In that season, I was the tenth player on a nine-player field. I would get my mandatory two innings in by playing right field, and then I would get my one at bat. Needless to say, it was a long season, and I didn’t do too well.

Looking back, I wish I had really evaluated my abilities. But my love and zeal for baseball clouded my judgment. Going into eighth grade, I chose not to return to football so that I could continue to play fall baseball. This was a mistake that I look back on with regret.

When disappointment comes, it is important to stop and learn as much as you can. I wish today that someone would have been honest with me and said, “Roger, you were built for football, not baseball.” I wish I would have looked back over that frustrating Little League season and realized that my days were numbered in that sport. Now that I am a man, I’ve learned the benefit of seeking advice before making significant decisions. Proverbs 11:14 states, “There is safety in having many advisers.”

When the game does not go your way, take a step back and listen to the advice of others. There, you will find wisdom so you can make adjustments or change directions altogether.

There is safety in having many advisers.

Proverbs 11:14