_{We can lose many battles and still win the war..}

Hi everyone. I’m Sherry Douglas with Heart-Song. Last week the Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team captured the National Championship for the sixth time. That is big news for the players, coaches, and fans. During March Madness, though there was another story that gained deserved traction. After 47 years of coaching, Coach K of Duke University was retiring when his team came to the end this season, either because they lost or because they were National Champs. As we now know, his career ended with a loss in the Final Four. I read an article by John O’Leary that pointed out that most of the articles written about his retirement didn’t focus on the losses or the wins. He said, “No, most articles, former players and even his opponents celebrated his steadfast commitment to his family, players, and school. My friends, with so much focus on scores and records and status, be reminded that we can lose many battles and still win the war.” Those are words of wisdom. Others could see Coach K valued people and relationships more than the wins and records. He lost some battles, but he still won the war with the respect of so many. I watched an interview in which Coach K was asked about being a Christian leader. His response included that leaders exhibited several character traits, but one thing he said particularly caught my attention, “It’s simple,” he said. “Be humble. Humility for a leader is a huge quality to have.” The Apostle Paul had the same idea. He said in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”

Just like Coach K, we will have wins and losses in our lives. That’s a given. Also, just like him, we can choose what character traits we exhibit during those wins and losses. Let’s choose to live the way we want to be remembered.

See you next time.