The 2012 season of the Carolina Panthers has devolved from a series of unfortunate events to a debacle, climaxing in the overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 18. The theme of their losses is the same: Doing well, starting strong, even winning in the third quarter. But then it seems the defense breaks down, the offense lacks strategy, and everything falls apart at the end as the opposing team charges into the resulting gap, adds points, and wins by either a close game or a comfortable margin. As tight end Greg Olsen summarized after the Nov. 18 loss, “We just have an uncanny ability to lose at the end.”
WeathersFollowing that staggering loss, commentators and analysts hauled tar and feathers out of storage. Most called for the firing of head coach Ron Rivera. In the Star News, Tom Sorenson wrote, “If you want to attribute the loss to one man, it’s Rivera.” He bluntly reflected that “Rivera is overmatched as a head coach” and joined the chorus. Rivera should be fired.
I am writing this in mid-November, so if the Panthers have started winning games by the time you read this, don’t miss this truth: We have an uncanny ability to lose at the end.
We can convince ourselves that all is well, that we are in control. We can handle this habit, fix this marriage, control this addiction. The game starts well. We are strong indeed. But then temptation strikes. Our offensive strategy is weaker than we thought. Our defense against sin fails us.
What’s the problem? The head coach. In the end, our effort to save ourselves will always lead to failure. The fact is, as head of our own lives, we are overmatched.
Enter Christmas. It’s God’s intervention in history, into the game we are continually trying to win, and His proclamation that we cannot win on our own. We cannot save ourselves. And once saved in Christ, we must rely on Him to win against temptation and sin.
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Fire yourself as coach. Accept Christ as Lord. What a difference it will make in the way the game ends.