Winning and losing
“We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength. Our admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn out to be firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built.”—TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS.
My grandchildren have reintroduced us to the world of sports. Sporting events were the social life in the small town where I grew up, where everyone came out to support our high school of approximately 200 students. Now, we are glued to the television for their college games, hoping to find children and grandchildren in the crowd. Of course, there has been no escaping Razorback football as well. Otherwise, we would not know about the games to understand or share in the conversation with many friends.
We cannot escape it. Our schooling, our sports events, and our professional work are all about winning and losing. I root for the Razorbacks and Georgia and Tulane. Sometimes, it is so intense that my husband and I must change to another channel and look for the replays. When we win, we are excited, even if we miss it in person. But watching in person shows us something we may miss when we are not there in real time. We see the agony of defeat. The next day, I think about kickers who missed that winning field goal or receivers who missed that last football thrown into their hands over the goal line.
Richard Rohr has pointed out another way of life, which he calls the prophetic path. We take two steps forward and one step back. In the suffering of our step back, we gain the wisdom and energy to go on to the next steps forward. The whole process continues, forward and back. 12-step literature might call it “a moment of clarity.” Christians might call the wisdom gained in the step backward of suffering that leads to resurrection. It happens continually in our lives.
Joanna https://www.joannaseibert.com/