Bowl Games, New Years, and Great Expectations

My Hokies were in town this past Friday for the Russell Athletic Bowl.   I got a great deal on four tickets for Gina the boys to join me.  (Sophia would view going to this game, or any game, as cruel and unusual punishment).   The Virginia Tech Hokies and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights!  I was ready for the GREATEST BOWL GAME OF THE YEAR!!

Honestly, the game was ugly. Rutgers took the lead 17 seconds into the game.  I’m glad our defense was good because we couldn’t run, pass, or block.  The entire first half would have had me pulling my hair out had I had any.  My expectations went from seeing the greatest bowl game of the season to trying to figure out how to fire our entire offensive staff DURING HALFTIME! 

We go into the third quarter and now, on top of an ugly game, it begins raining.  We are all wet, slightly cold, and losing by 10.  (Just a note here, Gina did not complain about the rain, the drunk guy who rubbed her head, the overpriced $12 hamburger with nothing on it, or sitting in the rain even when the game went to Overtime.  I’m gonna have to pay for this one later on in a major way).  After tying the game in the fourth quarter and taking the lead in overtime, I was on a total adrenaline rush. I was so jacked up; I would even let the drunk guy rub my head!  This ugly game came down to a 43-yard field goal attempt by Rutgers.  The kick was up and… NO GOOD!  Everyone was hugging and high fiving and, in my mind this game had become an instant Hokie classic.  Same pathetic offense through out, sitting in a driving rain, but all of a sudden, this was the greatest game ever!

Now, looking back on 2012.  I was so FIRED UP when 2012 began.  I started back to school, my kids were set for great things in their own academics, and my dad’s life seemed to have settled down after losing my mom.  Gina’s online store seemed ready for a big year, we were ready to make new hires and move forward at the church.  I was expecting really big things!  In short, the year flopped.  2012 was one of the roughest years I have ever had to endure.  In my family, in ministry, financially, everything was a challenge and it seemed like I was always on defense and never progressing offensively.  At the end of the year though, I look back and the final 5 weeks of the year seemed like “we won by a field goal”.  Two of my kids pulled 4.0’s in school.  I finished my degree.  Gina had to downgrade her store but it is opening other opportunities for her.  Dad retired after 45 years of ministry.  And Maddie is in Amsterdam preparing to head to Africa tomorrow and she is fired up for God.  I didn’t see any of this happening in July.  I was wondering how to just survive.  The secret seems to be in not quitting.  Press on even when the game of life does not meet our expectations at the moment.  As Matthew 6:34 in the Message paraphrase says, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” 

2013 has launched.  I have some big goals and big expectations.  My challenge is not to quit in the second quarter and remember the game is not over.  Some of it is stuff from 2012, some of it is working toward life goals I have, and some is just high expectations. 

Do you set goals for the year? 

How do you do it? 

Do you consider your expectations to be optimistic, realistic, or pessimistic? 

Any advice?