Reflections on a Devastating Game

As I lay here, reflecting on the most devastating World Cup game in history, I couldn't help but notice all the life lessons that relate here. It may be silly to some of you, I know soccer is just a game, but to those who take this game to heart, maybe you can join me in these reflections. What I write here are only my non-sport expert opinions and I'm not looking to make excuses for the loss nor bash the team. I'm simply stating what I've seen and my interpretation of it.

It's no question the Brazilian team this World Cup was not as strong as the team has been in the past. They were, in my opinion, too dependent on the star player and kind of all over the place- not working as a team at all. We were fortunate enough to go as far as we did, but unfortunately couldn't follow through to the finals. It wasn't just any loss, but an embarrassing record breaking loss. I do recognize, however, that the team had a lot of pressure on them. They were in their home country, and it was almost as if winning this cup would save their country. They didn't want to let their people down and then to add to all the pressure their star player and team captain were unable to play the semi finals. The team wasn't as prepared as they should've been and this loss is the result of it.

The most embarrassing of it all was reading how people were reacting on social media. People bashing the team out of spite because of their own country's loss, and even Brazilians losing the pride of their country over one bad (REALLY bad) game. At the end of the day, it is what it is- a game. One team wins and the other loses, but they both deserve respect for making it as far as they did.

After a lot of thought, these are a few life lessons I thought of...

Be prepared
- In life, unprecedented things happen and you always have to be prepared for it: You have a savings account even though you have a steady job just in case something happens to you or your job, when planning you make a plan B or C in case plan A doesn't work out, in sports you train how defend when your opponents attack, and in your walk of faith you learn to be prepared for when trials and temptations come your way.

Don't depend on the past
- It's one thing to be proud of what you've accomplished in the past but it's another to depend on it. We need to constantly be improving ourselves, do more, and work harder. If you find yourself constantly pointing to past accomplishments, ask yourself what have you been doing recently. As a teacher I need to constantly be learning more, reading more and improving myself as an educator. As a Christian I need to constantly check where my relationship with Christ is right now, and how have I reflected the love of God every day.

Learn from your mistakes
- Don't be a sore loser. In life you win and you lose. You make embarrassing mistakes you wish you could go back and change, but the greatest people are those who learn from their mistakes. You learn and you grow and you keep trying until you get it right. As humans we constantly mess up. We sin, we disappoint, we fall short, but we should always be trying to better ourselves, growing each time we fall.

Learn to take criticism
- Part of growing and learning from your mistakes is learning to take criticism. Our natural tendency is to defend ourselves, but sometimes we need to hear it- we need an outside point of view in order to see what we can't see ourselves. Just as in art, critiquing helps an artist master his or her techniques, in life hearing the hard stuff helps us better ourselves.

Depend on others
- As humans we were designed to be dependent on other people. We need family, community, friends, co-workers in order to function. A community works together in order to survive, a team works together to accomplish a goal, and above all things we are dependent on God. Living independently just doesn't work. You need others to help you when you fail, to pick you up when you fall, and to encourage you to get up and try again.

Don't depend on others
- Although this statement seems to contradict the one above, I mean something different by it. As Christians we can't let our faith and relationship with God be dependent on the "rocks" in our lives. It's great to have friends who are strong in faith, have great leaders in our lives, and listen to great messages or read great devotionals, but my relationship with God is solely dependent on me seeking him on my own. It's easy to follow someone's else's bandwagon, but it's important to have your own quiet time/personal worship in order to have that close relationship with God.


I apologize for the lengthy post, but these thoughts were spinning in my head and I just had to get them down. May someone be blessed by it.

- Angie