A banking advertising campaign once featured athletes who were beaten by those who became world famous. They now hold “invisible” jobs, and each ad closed with: “No-one remembers who came second…”
The bank is wrong for a couple of reasons.
First, on the eve of every AFL Grand Final, Channel Seven has its traditional overnight marathon of past finals and, as a Collingwood supporter, I can easily remember who came second. Ahh, those tragic episodes … 1964, 1966, 1970(!), 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981. But 1990 and 2010 were pretty good!
It’s easy to dismiss coming second: the best view of the winner, top of the flops, to fail with honours, and so it goes.
But life is bigger than sports – even for Collingwood supporters. Life teaches us when and how to trust others’ leadership.
After healing a blind man, Jesus told those crowded around him: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me won’t grope around in the dark, but will enjoy the light of life!” And he knew where he was going. All the way to death and back!
Following him through life’s risks and routines helps us to help others reach their potential. Giving them a break helps them rediscover bruised or missing self-respect, and it eases the tension when competitive urges could stifle our sense of values.
It’s fun to find that his love is big enough to help us win, whether we come second or third, for he wants no-one to be left out.
Leave a comment