“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” — Matthew 6:33-34
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March Madness has been one of my favorite sporting events since I was a kid. The chaos, drama and unpredictability are what make it so entertaining.
However, those aspects are also what lead to so many inaccurate narratives being created based on tiny sample sizes. For example, North Carolina’s and UCLA’s men’s teams in recent years have entered a season at or near the top of the top-25 poll following an unexpected Final Four run. But both failed to live up to expectations, and North Carolina didn’t even make the NCAA Tournament after being the preseason No. 1 team.
Before Virginia’s first game in the 2019 men’s NCAA Tournament, former head coach Tony Bennett told the media he encourages his players to find “peace and perspective” from “something unconditional.” That team was coming off a historic loss to No. 16-seed UMBC in 2018, and went on to win the 2019 national championship. Bennett’s point was that everyone will encounter adversity. The better team doesn’t always win, especially in March and April. Life isn’t always fair. The question is: How do people choose to view the challenges that come their way?
For Christians like Bennett, the “peace and perspective” he talked about come from God. Those who keep Christ at the center are able to navigate life’s ups and downs more effectively because their identity is based on His unconditional love. Christians are not defined by their successes or failures; they are defined by who God says they are.
When we have that kind of perspective, we can live life joyfully because our foundation won’t be shaken by the trials we face. Additionally, we won’t feel unfulfilled in our happiest moments because we know that the promotion or new relationship or amazing accomplishment won’t give us what we’re looking for. The only thing that will truly fulfill and sustain us is God’s unconditional love.
— Joshua Doering
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