Are You A Die-hard Fan?

The tension was palpable.  The stakes were high.  I sat on the edge of the bleachers in a small, crowded gym, watching the time tick down in the 2nd quarter of the youth CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) basketball game that was tied 4-4.  A fan from the opposing team sat a mere few feet away from me, whining, complaining, and questioning every call that didn’t go in his team’s favor.  We’ve all experienced this fan.  He complained about EVERYTHING.  

He would throw his hands in the air and look around to his fellow comrades garnering support for his belief at just how terrible these refs were.  I stared at him, hoping he would catch my glare, and my discontent for his ridiculous outrage at the referees’ calls.  I was secretly hoping for a chance to relay, mostly through telekinesis, that he needed to chill out.  Sadly, he never felt my brainwaves.

But then…slowly, slowly, ever so slowly, his complaining slowed, then stopped.  He then began cheering more positively, praising good efforts on the court, clapping joyfully when the girls took a shot at the basket, and his general disposition towards the referees’ more “questionable” calls improved to portray a more graceful fan, accepting that maybe, just maybe the referees are also trying their best.

So what happened?  Was this one of the Lord’s mysterious and unbelievable miracles unfolding right in front of us?  I mean this was CYO!  But alas, no, this was not a burning bush.  The change in this man’s demeanor was in direct correlation to the steady lead that his kid’s team had accumulated over the next 2 quarters.  

Now, to be fair, I genuinely think he was there to cheer on his kid and the team.  I think this guy likely has some good Values.  And those Values were easy to display when things were going well.  But, when things weren’t so much in his, or his team’s favor, I saw a different person.  I saw the not so great version of him.  I saw his Values tested, and I saw his unpleasant response.

And this is the hard part about living our Values every day.  When things are going well, it’s easy to be kind, respectful, honest, caring, cheerful, etc. etc.  But when things DON’T go our way, that is when our Values are tested; and THAT is when they are needed the most.  Your Values are amplified in times of adversity.  

Your Values = WHO you are.  But it’s not about what you value; it’s about living those values.  You can’t say you value sportsmanship, but only show it when the game is going your way.  You have to live your Values ALL THE TIME.  The game isn’t always going to go your way.  Life isn’t always going to go your way.  But the one thing you have absolute control of is how you play the game.  

So, win or lose, choose to play the game the right way.  Don’t we be a fair-weather fan for your own Values.  Be a die-hard fan.