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Can We Praise God For Our Defeats?
Athletes give God the glory when they win, but what happens when they lose?
It is cool to see an athlete or a coach, thanking God for success after winning a game. It is a good witness and shows some humility.
But for every winner in athletic competition, there is also a loser. There is someone who worked just as hard, tried just as hard, and believed in God just as much — but lost the game.
Losers are not interviewed on national television after a game, so we don’t see the losers thanking God for the result. But there are cases where it happens.
Years ago, a quarterback at South Carolina had started the year as the №3 quarterback, and he started the last game of the season against a good Clemson team. In the pregame, he talked about his faith. He had a terrible game. Nothing went his way. Clemson ate his lunch and sent him to the bench injured.
To his credit, in post-game interviews, he thanked God for the opportunity. He said there was a purpose in the defeat and he congratulated the other team. He said he also would praise God in defeat, just as he would have if he had won.
It’s great that athletes and coaches are public about their faith. They put the work in, and it paid off. They also realized their…