Dear Friends,
As I write this, I imagine that emotions are still running high for some people about yesterday [Sunday 27th] and the World Cup disappointment. Downstairs on my TV Andy Murray is playing excellent tennis at Wimbledon. If he wins, he will be in the quarter final. We all, I imagine, would love him to be the next winner of the Tournament.
So yes, I personally think that a certain amount of patriotism is a healthy thing, and of course, there is the fun side too.. it is entertaining and certainly inspiring to watch highly skilled people in all sorts of sports.
But what happens when these idols fail to live up to our expectations?
And what happens to us as a nation when we constantly fail to come up with winners? Does it affect us personally?
I believe that our country does have a reputation for cheering on the “under dog”, and I certainly have difficulty watching those who struggle and who are being hurt and humiliated in public.... those who never win against the giants, the rich, the skilled, the beautiful, in any walk of life.
At a recent church service we sang the following hymn:
Winning not, though ever striving,
We must be true!
Onward pressing, ne'er arriving,
We must be true!
Though success may never greet us,
Failure ever come to meet us,
All things seeming to defeat us,
We must be true! *
After the service someone jokingly suggested that it could be the new anthem for the English football team!
But perhaps the most important words are in the next two verses:
Following where our light shall lead us
then our lives will be worth living
journeying down life's road together.....
We may not be champions, but as team players we will always be winners.
With love to you all....
Lindy
* Hymns for Living 153
