It is how you play the game.

My favorite baseball team won yesterday. Now I can't wait for the Detroit Tigers to play again. It is funny how that works. One win and I am so excited for the action to continue. Winning is contagious. The truth is that sports has that effect on us. We go so wrapped up in it that a team's winning streak can carry us through a difficult time in our lives.

On the other hand, when our teams lose, it can set us off and take the luster off everything else in our lives. Why do we let our fascination with sports teams have such a powerful effect on us? The truth is that it speaks to our very nature.

When we have a disagreement with our spouse and things are not going well, it colors the way we see the world. No matter how well everything else is going, we view the world around us with a sense of sorrow and loss. Yet, when our sweetie gives us a hug or does something nice for us, the clouds disappear and the sun starts blazing over head. It doesn't matter if in reality it is pouring outside. Your world will be bright.

We get too caught up in the here and now and let it shade the future. That is why it is good to see things from God's perspective. He takes the long view of things. He knows there will be ups and downs in life. He encourages us to take the sure and steady road.

Sparky Anderson, former manager of my Tigers, used to say, "Every team is going to win fifty games and lose fifty games no matter how good they are. It is what you do with the other sixty two games that makes the difference between a good season and a bad one." The truth is that it is how you play the game that matters most. We will have hills and valleys in our lives. But how we live and what we put our trust in, will determine how good of a life we have.

So trust God and follow him and you will be blessed.

Cal