I woke up to thoughts of disappointment about the Vikings’ play-off loss.
Not surprising. As a life-long fan it truly is unbelievable how many ways we have lost these games when we thought we had it wrapped up. 
Then I reflected for a bit, on how “not-funny” some of the comments and posts I have received from Packer fans and other fans have been. It is not their fault. I have sent several similar posts and comments to them when the tables were turned. I am rethinking that approach to “gamesmanship” now. I don’t want to be that person anymore. Part of it is funny, and part of it is cruel. I don’t think the funny is worth the cruel anymore.
Then, I let some things that I was wrestling with all afternoon and evening after the loss sink a little deeper into my conscious thought.
Why is it that this can bother me this much? As a friend and fellow-Vikings fan wrote, “These are certainly first-world problems.”
I have dear friends who are dying of cancer. Or their spouse or other loved ones are. In the past year alone, I have had three different sets of friends lose a child in tragic ways. I speak at my events and bookings about the reality of children dying every day of hunger. Terrorism is on the rise. The list goes on and is known too well.
The world is hurting. And I am lost in the “pain” of losing a game.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not “beating myself up” over this. I realize there is a disappointment that is okay. This is an escape.. a get-away… and when you follow a team so closely and get so committed it is a legitimate disappointment. And that’s okay to name it as such. So, no follow-up comments needed along that line.
But disappointment, like pain, is relative. And I do want to process this all in the context of what really matters as I consider how I invest in life.
So, this morning, as I relive this relatively small disappointment in life, each time I feel the tinge of Purple Sadness, I am going to try to turn those thoughts to a prayer for those who are TRULY hurting. A prayer that they would remember that there is a God who walks with them in the very real, the very INTENSE… and yes, the TRULY PAINFUL… pain. And I will try to turn from my self-focused obsession with a football team, to things that actually matter. That people who need to know that they are not alone would feel comforted. That people who are hungry would eat. That people who are dying would know that you are on the other side, waiting for them, Lord.
Thanks for the fun and entertainment of professional and college sports, God. It is fun… and it is painful… and that is okay. But help me to keep it in perspective. And to turn the TV off when I need to, to instead focus on you.
Here’s to next year, when I will again sing the praise of the Purple.
Help me to not be obnoxious to other fans. And help me keep it in perspective .. the losses and the wins.
You are in every aspect of LIFE, Lord.
Help me keep YOU at the center.
To see the things that matter most.