Life Lesson Learned from the Super Bowl

Did you watch the big game last night? For me personally, the football is interesting, but I always look forward to the commercials. I love to see what the creative marketers have come up with each year to not only entertain us, but of course to sell us something too. This year as I watched the game (yes I really did watch it), I appreciated the opportunity the coaches had to challenge a call. It worked in the Cardinal’s favor twice as the officials reviewed the plays and made a new determination. The officials call it like they see it, but they reserve the right to be challenged. I like that.

Life comes at us fast and sometimes we don’t always make the right call. Think about it, the highly trained officials at the Super Bowl, (the best of the best) recognize they can’t call every play perfectly until they have seen a variety of angles and viewpoints. Perhaps we can take a cue from this life lesson played out at the Super Bowl. There are times we need to humbly recognize that we need to look at a situation from several points of view instead of simply our own vantage point. Certainly there are cut and dry, right versus wrong decisions we make. I’m not talking about those. I talking about those times when we make a rash decision that can effect others, and we are only willing to see it from our own viewpoint.

Situations like:
A standoff argument with our spouse.
Telling our teenager No.
Making an assumption about a neighbor or friend or family member.
Blaming or getting angry at a co-worker.

So how can we do things differently? Three things come to mind.
1. Look. Try to look at situations with a broader perspective. Don’t just look at life from your own vantage point. Consider the circumstances from several possible angles.
2. Listen. Hear other people’s story before you make a quick decision or judgment. Recognize that you do not know it all. Really I know you think you do in this situation, but honestly you don’t.
3. Re-think. Be willing to apologize or humbly rethink a decision if you make one too rashly. Allow the people in your life to make a gentle petition for their case if necessary.

Ephesians 4:2 – 2 reminds us, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Let's teach our kids this humble principle as well.