A Man of Understanding~

"People of understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness" Proverbs 14:29.

Greetings!

This past week I went to the volleyball district playoff game for a local high school down the street, Saint Brendan.  The winner would go to regionals where a win would take them to the state championship game.  What made this best three-out-of-five showdown so compelling  was that the St. Brendan Sabres  - ranked fourth in the district - were playing the number one team.  During the regular season they had already faced this undefeated team and lost twice, so honestly, expectations were not that high that they would win.

Then something amazing happened.  After narrowly losing the first game, aces were served, kills were perfectly executed, and the Sabres won game two.  They lost game three but fast forward to game four and again the Sabres eked out a win 26-24.  Did I mention that my son-in-law, Emilio, is their coach, and that the Sabres' record has been steadily improving since he took over a couple of years ago?  Nonetheless, up to this point, when it became obvious that winning districts was no longer a lofty goal but an actual possibility - only one 15-point game away - I started to pay attention to Emilio.

The pressure was on, and it was palpable.  Miss Rayray, who was next to me in the stands, was grimacing so wildly that she made me nervous.  Between massaging her temples, and looking away, and pacing back and forth, and squatting up and down I thought she was, in fact, going to have a cow.  Every point was critical, so when the referees made some questionable calls, when some of the players missed their serves, I would have understood if Emilio would have gotten heated.  But no. He maintained his composure, encouraged his players, and smiled throughout.  I was impressed, especially since I have witnessed plenty of coaches behaving badly, and sometimes toward my own kids when they were growing up.  And let's not talk about how heated parents can get during these competitions.  They will yell obscenities, scream for the coaches to be fired, threaten the referees, and insult their own kids.  Just a couple of weeks ago in Cooper City, which is about 45 minutes away from where I live, two little league coaches made national news for actually getting into a physical fight in the middle of a game.  The shame!!!

When it was all said and done the Sabres lost game five, and it was a heartbreaker.  That didn't stop Emilio and his team from congratulating the winners, however.  And so the season ended with mixed emotions.  Yes, it had been the best record the Sabres had ever had, but they lost districts.  One thing that was perfectly clear, however, was that long after the game ended the fans, players, and parents, and at least one mother-in-law that I know of, were spectacularly proud of Emilio's example. He is a man who understands that no one wins when they let their emotions get the better of them.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You don't expect us not to get angry - just to control our anger so we won't do something we will regret later.  We never want to do something foolish, so help us every day to keep our emotions in check.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~