Danielle and I lived 11 years in the state of Texas. Although I was born and reared in the state of Louisiana, my experience was that of Paul who said, “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.†We enjoyed four years in Southeast Texas where I pastored Burkeville Baptist Church and seven years in the Dallas-Fort Worth area where I pastored First Baptist Church of Newark and completed my seminary work.
My time in Texas left lasting marks on me. I developed an affinity for Mexican food, a tendency to stretch the truth a little bit, and a devotion to the three professional ball clubs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area—the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, and Texas Rangers.
My identification with these three clubs has brought a few great experiences such as the Cowboys’ four Super Bowl victories, but mostly it has brought heartache. Consider my current plight. Last year it looked like the Dallas Mavericks would finally win the NBA championship, but then folded in the last three games of the series with Miami to wind up losing. This year the Mavericks had one of the best all-time regular-season records, but then lost to an eighth-seed in the first round of the playoffs. The Dallas Cowboys made the playoffs but then fumbled away an extra-point attempt to come up one point short in the first playoff game. The Texas Rangers, in spite of entering the season with high hopes, now are in last place in their division. Not only that, but they have the worst record in major league baseball.
Traditionally the home-plate umpire signals the start of a game by yelling, “Play ball.†At a recent Rangers game, the umpire yelled, “Attempt to play ball.†One of followers of the team said that he knew it would be a long season. On opening day when they began playing the national anthem, one of the players said, “Every time I hear that song I have a bad game.â€
Carlyle Marney once began a sermon this way. He stood and said, “What a bunch of losers all of us are.†He was exactly right. Life is not divided into two neat categories—winners and losers. All of us are losers. It doesn’t matter who we are, we have lost a lot of important things—things more important than ball games. We have lost opportunities, loved ones, dreams, and plans.
Losing always hurts, but Scripture declares that good can come from difficulties. Paul wrote, “We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope†(Rom. 5:3). James declared, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance†(James 1:2-3).
I have been blessed. Thanks to the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, and Texas Rangers, your teams may have better records than mine, but I am way ahead of you in perseverance!
