1 > 56

Back in second year high-school, I had one of those memorable sporting experience.

I was chosen captain ball of one of the 5 teams in our school intramurals. The other teams have better and taller players but I don’t mind taking up the challenge. I look forward to playing against the better teams.

But as the competitions went underway, reality struck hard as we became easy prey as the other teams led by their future varsity players simply outclassed us. So at the end of the elimination round with one last game to play, we found ourselves at the bottom of the team standings without nary a single win to show. We took the losses in strides but deep inside myself I was devastated. It was simply hard for me to accept that my team is the least among them and that my love for the game and our efforts are not enough to lift our team to a respectable level. I covered up my frustrations with smiles and candid jokes about our team’s misfortunes.

And came the last game.

Our team, obviously out from any serious contention, has nothing to gain but a semblance of pride left just to win at least a game out of the tournament. The opposing team, on the other hand, has a mission at hand. Winning this game for them will give them the chance to compete in the championship game.

And so we both wanted it badly.

The game was played in see-saw fashion for the most duration. Jaybee, their team captain was simply unstoppable and we all have our hands busy trying to defend him. On our side, lady luck was also smiling as were able to have good looks and made some improbable shots. As the game went on, we experienced some form of adrenalin rush while being able to keep up with a good team. We felt good and energized. We were having fun.

The final result was a tournament’s only game-thriller with us winning by a single point.
It was the talk-of-the-campus for a few days.

Let me remind you that we were still the cellar-dweller of the tournament, but that lonesome win proved a lot of things to me and our team:

1. There is no such thing as born-loser – only perennial quitter.
If you keep on fighting and improving, then you are bound to win sooner or later but if you give up, then winning will never be an option. Even Michael Jordan, the iconic legend of basketball needed more than 7 years of frustrated attempts before finally winning his championship. He was the emerging best player of that time and it must have been really exasperating for him through all those years. But he never quit and the rest of his playing years were the lasting testaments to his legacy.

2. You can be a winner without being on top.
At the end of each tournament, only 1 team is always crowned champion and the rest are runner-ups. Yes, even the least team, in essence, is running-up the ladder of success. If you see improvement in your team as the time progress, then consider yourself a winner because you are moving in the right direction. It will just be a matter of time, before that on-going improvement will spell the team success you all are hoping and working for.

3. 1>56
I can never forget that 56 never-to-be-repeated-even-in-my-wildest-and-craziest-dream points but Jaybee scored 63 mind-boggling points of his own as well. Mano-o-mano, my personal effort would have been another losing effort but being with team-mates that finally believe in themselves made the intangible difference. We got the 1 win that we wanted so much. Nobody really talked about personal statistics after the game. All we ever talked about is the feeling of great teamwork where everybody played their role very well. In the end, winning as a team is all that matters because the fulfillment belongs to all.

Life is like a basketball game.
It is full of challenges, disappointments, discouragements, fears, problems, and obstacles.

So the same hindsight holds true.
Don’t quit. Keep the good fight.
Be a winner even if you are losing.
Look for good team-mates to help you.

Relentlessly aim for that single most important win in our lives – the glory of heaven.
Be God’s champion.

God bless.