The Real Scoreboard

Two of my interests are soccer and analytics. I usually have to enjoy both separately, but there has been one instance where these two passions have converged. Last year, my son started playing soccer for the first time, and he quickly fell in love with being the goalkeeper. So I thought it would be fun to keep track of how many shots he either saved or conceded each game. Not only was he interested in hearing his stats, but it became a way to keep him from focusing only on the losses. For example, after one game, he reported to his grandparents that yes, he conceded two goals, but he did save five!

A hard truth about being the goalkeeper, though, is that no matter how many saves are made in a game, what matters is the final score. Many American soccer fans will never forget Tim Howard’s record-breaking achievement in the 2014 World Cup. He made 16 saves against red-hot Belgium, but unfortunately, he also conceded two. Since the United States only scored one, despite the heroic performance, they were out of the tournament.

My son has experienced similar disappointments. There have been games his team lost despite him saving every shot that came his way. That’s because soccer at his level is more about giving everyone a turn at every position, and his teammates who had a turn as goalkeeper conceded more than their team scored.

I think about this idea sometimes when it comes to the Church. What has been the difference between Jesus’ heroic performance while on earth and Christians since His ascension? The very short passage of Matthew 9:18-33 is one example of what He was capable of. Death, chronic bleeding, blindness, and even a combination of demon possession and lack of speaking ability were all met by Jesus. Nothing got past Him! Yet a short while after this, Jesus made one of His many declarations that He wanted to call us onto the field:

He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” (Matthew 9:37-38, NLT)

By Jesus’ death and resurrection, He showed that in the real “game of life,” life gets the victory, not death. And it’s a blowout! But while we’re still on the field, we just need to keep looking up at the scoreboard. Sure, sometimes we concede a few. Sometimes we hesitate or bobble something we should have handled more securely. But on God’s team, we’re always on the winning side.

That side is also not made up of a few stars in pulpits, either; it truly is a team effort. Someone may do something spectacular, but it was because the buildup play was done with unassuming, unflashy faithfulness and excellence. So when it’s our individual moment, let’s partner with the Spirit to make it a spectacular one. Otherwise, let’s keep linking up with our brothers and sisters so that everything we do is done with unity and boldness. Because when full time is finally called, the celebration party will not last just for a few weeks before the uncertainty of “next season” kills the joy. We’re forever victors; forever celebrating!

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.