God's Coaching #320

God's Coaching #320

Oklahoma Sooners fans knew their team’s victory over rival Texas was big, but nobody knew how big it would turn out to be. Following a 19–14 victory over Texas during the 1953 season, the Sooners wouldn’t lose for the rest of the season. Oklahoma didn’t lose the next season. Or the next season. Or the next!

Oklahoma University (OU) rolled off another seven wins in 1957, but then Notre Dame came to Norman, Oklahoma, with an iron defense. Neither team scored until the fourth quarter, when the Fighting Irish marched 80 yards to score a touchdown with less than four minutes left. The Sooners couldn’t answer. On November 16, 1957, Oklahoma lost for the first time in nearly four years. The Oklahoma crowd stood and applauded Notre Dame at the end of the game to show their sportsmanship. The unbeaten streak had lasted 47 games—the longest in college football history. During that time the Sooners won two national championships—in 1955 and 1956.

What’s the Score?

Everybody loses sometimes. Even the Sooners found that out . . . eventually. Have you ever heard the saying “You win some and you lose some”? It’s the way life is. And that’s a good thing. Winning and losing can give us chances to learn important lessons.

Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time for everything. We experience both good times and bad times, including being born and dying, laughing and crying, and peace and war. No matter what’s going on, God is always with us. We can thank him in good times and in bad times. He never changes, and he will never leave us. He’s the streak that will never end, even when our lives are showing more defeats than victories.

On the Ball

Ask God what he wants to show you when you lose or are having a bad day. God is more concerned with improving your character than with the number of victories you can amass.

Coach’s Comment

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1