The air was crisp with the promise of snow in the sleek open-air stadium. Eighty thousand fans had journeyed from all over the world, paying healthy sums to get the real-time experience of a Super Bowl. Team jerseys, number one foam hands, loaded chili dogs and cotton candy stirred nostalgia and jump-started the adrenalin in these devoted football lovers.

The much-anticipated kick-off put the offense at the 30 yard line. Twenty-two oversized professional athletes took their places, and the offense executed a play that had been rehearsed many times. The ball was snapped, the rookie quarterback fell back and began searching for an available receiver. This young man was the player everyone was counting on. He could hear the cheers and the pressure was intense. Suddenly one of the 300-pound tackles wedged between the center and the guard. An avalanche ensued. With no one open and nowhere to run, the quarterback tucked and braced for the impact and dogpile that was inevitable.

Then the unthinkable happened. After the whistle, when the players had untangled themselves, the quarterback called time out and headed for the sidelines. This, in itself, was an unusual move and immediately caused concern. However, what he did next was unprecedented. He jogged past his coaches and team-mates and found his mother in her front-row seat. Fans close by were shocked to see him lean in to her, with tears in his eyes, and blubber, “Mommy, I was just trying to throw the ball when a bunch of boys half again as big as me ganged up on me. Did you see that? It wasn’t fair. I think they bruised my legs. Why are people so mean? Will you go tell them to leave me alone?”

“Hang on a minute!” the reader might counter, “That would never happen. No one who made it to the big leagues would be that sensitive and wimpy. That would end their career!” 

To which the author would quickly concede. That is a preposterous story, and it would be unlikely to take place at a Super Bowl. But how often do we find ourselves whining to a friend or family member about our challenges and misfortunes? Why is it that everyone expects quarterbacks to buck up and deal with his challenges while we lament our own setbacks and difficulties. If work is not easy, when people at church are not sensitive to our needs, or when neighbors are not kind, it is easy to slip into the victim mindset and join the chorus of people who croon about the world being unfair and about God making life so hard.

The only way to deal with life is to get back on the field and face it with hope, knowing not every play will be in our favor. If we keep that in mind when we will undoubtedly suffer our fair share of loss, encounter opposition and have setbacks, we may have the courage to stay in the game long enough to see the tide change. Life happens. Our moms hope we grow up and learn to handle it one play at a time.