How To Be Grateful When Your Team Loses the World Series
Do you struggle to be grateful? You're not alone. But here are three reasons gratitude is important.
This past weekend was probably the toughest loss I've ever experienced as a sports fan—and that's saying something considering no professional sports team I've supported (aside from the 2019 Toronto Raptors) has won diddly squat.
For reference, it's been 32 years since a Canadian NHL team has hoisted the Stanley Cup. I've lived through heartbreaking Game 7 losses and playoff runs that have come up short over...and over...and over again.
In case you're not into sports like I am, all you need to know is the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team lost the World Series in heartbreaking fashion, missing chance after chance to close out the Los Angeles Dodgers. This started in Game 6 when they stranded two runners on second and third with no outs to end the game, and culminated in Game 7 when they missed winning the World Series by inches on a close slide at home plate.
The Jays were a team that started the season at 6,000-to-1 odds to win the World Series, only to start the ninth inning of Game 7 with a 91% chance to take home the title. So on one hand, they went much further than anyone expected, but came up short of what they could have accomplished.
So, Why Do I Mention This?
Last week, Janan and I spent a few days in Toronto, Canada, spending time with some wonderful people, who, as it turns out, have very different views of sports.
My friend Andrew is a pessimistic fatalist who believes Toronto-based sports teams are destined to produce endless heartbreak (I tend to agree with his worldview).
Then there is my friend Darryl Dash (a prolific writer and avid Jays' fan).
Darryl was much more optimistic and even after this devastating defeat, posted, "The Jays were amazing. We wanted it all and didn’t get it, but couldn’t ask for more."
I'll have to admit that when Janan read me his post, my immediate response was "Of course we could ask for more! We could ask for a win!"
But maybe Darryl is a little more spiritual than I am, and his viewpoint is something we all could follow.
Why Practice Gratitude?
Regardless of whether you're a sports fan, we're all tempted to divide our daily activities into the wins and losses category. We get a promotion at work. Win. Our car gets rear-ended on the way to pick up groceries. Loss.
And if we're not careful, our level of gratitude is directly tied to our present circumstances. If life is good, we're thankful. But if life is bad, we grumble.
This month, I'm starting a new daily devotional series on gratitude, where I'll feature numerous TMC subscribers.
One of the key points you'll see emphasized in this series is that gratitude is always a choice.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "Give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." The verb eucharisteite (where we get the term eucharist) is in the present tense and imperative form, showing that giving thanks is meant to be an ongoing habit rather than a one-time act. We are to practice it at all times, regardless of the pain of life's circumstances.
Why? Three primary reasons.
- First, gratitude honors God. In On Getting Out of Bed, Alan Noble writes, "When we live in gratitude, recognizing and delighting in this life, we honor God." [1]
- Second, gratitude changes us. Not only this, but we experience an internal transformation. We break out of this entitled mentality that says, "I deserve ______," and experience the joy of contenment.
- Third, gratitude encourages others. My friend Shawn does this so well. For example, last Friday, he sent me a random text saying, "I appreciate you and what you bring to my life."
Make Gratitude an Act of Worship
If you're struggling to be grateful today, I challenge you to link gratitude with worship. As Randy Alcorn writes, "Our enjoyment of what God has provided us should be inseparable from worshiping, glorifying, and appreciating him." [2]
Start your days not making a list of mental complaints but with a heart of worship that thanks God that he is using every experience—good and bad—to make you more like Jesus.
As you do this, your perspective will shift and your relationship with God and others will grow.
[1] Alan Noble, On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2023), 97.
[2] Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004), Kindle Locations 3841–42.
