Football

I like watching college football. Actually, I like any football, especially the highlights on the sports news. At one time I didn’t enjoy the game because “my” team always lost. Of course, that was not true but I felt like one loss equaled being a loser.
I would mope and sigh that “my” team lost simply because I was rooting for them. Wow, can you imagine the power that gave me to control the game! What an arrogant thought! In reality I had no vested interest in the outcome of the game. But through my low self-esteem I saw every disappoint I faced as a sign of me being a loser.
I had no control in a football game I was watching but I did have control in how I looked at life. I didn’t pick the winning team; I didn’t have the nicest car or the prettiest clothes. So what? “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” (Psalm 18:32) I was choosing self-pity to reinforce my lack of self-esteem. God gives me what I need; love, comfort and mercy, to name a few. What the world gives is shallow and temporary.
When I began changing my priorities, I started building my self-esteem. Who I am became more important than ball games or possessions. How I treat people reflects my true self more than how I am treated by others, or how my favorite team does.
Now, I can enjoy football even when my team loses by three points in the final 15 seconds.

Have you ever given yourself too much power by believing something was done or said simply because of you?