Glorious Victory

I almost never watch NFL football. Maybe once every ten years I might see a game. I never catch the super bowl. I don't watch many college games. If I do, it would almost have to be an ACC game. I might tune in to a few of those every year. I generally don't watch college bowl games. However, I do watch Georgia Tech football games. They had a good team last year, which made it a fun year for that. They finished 11-3 and won their bowl game.

Tech's in-state rival is UGA, also called Georgia. The game can be quite intense. Last year's was a nail-biter. November 29, 2014. Tech was ranked 16th. UGA was 9th. It came down to the last three minutes of the game. Tech had a small lead, and victory was within grasp. Until the quarterback fumbled the ball. With just under three minutes left in the game, he sat down on the sidelines and put his face in his hands so he wouldn't have to watch. It was brutal. There's almost no way to come back from that, and he felt the weight of it. Georgia scored a touchdown, giving them a 21 to 24 lead. With 22 seconds left in the game. Georgia fans began celebrating. Georgia players began congratulating themselves on the sidelines and celebrating.

Having victory within easy reach only to watch it slip away was heartbreaking. It's nearly impossible to score in 22 seconds. But. The game wasn't over. After the kickoff Tech ran the ball out to decent field position. They had time for one maybe two more plays. The next play put them at mid-field. With 4 seconds left in the game. About the only way to score from that distance is with a miracle pass or with a really, really long field goal. A field goal would have been 53 yards and almost a miracle in its own right. Tech's kicker's longest field goal was 49 yards. The coach decided to try a field goal anyway. With 4 seconds left, options are severely limited.

The kicker came out and set up. Everything went perfectly. The ball barely made it through the goalposts, but it made it. Tie game! 24-24. The quarterback was off the hook. Georgia fans were stunned. One looked positively angry. We were going to overtime.

College overtime rules are kind of weird now. Each team is allowed one possession. The team that scores the most points wins, or I guess they do it again. I don't watch enough of it to know exactly how it works. Games usually don't go to overtime.

Tech got the ball first and scored a touchdown. It was 30-24. The point after was blocked! To win, all Georgia had to do was score a touchdown. The Georgia side restarted the celebrations. More heartbreak for Tech and Tech fans. Tech couldn't stop Georgia's drive. And then it happened. Interception! Game over. Tech won!!!

I taped this game onto DVD from someone else's DVR this week. Even knowing Tech would win, it was hard to watch. It was a game of ups and downs. The lows were really low. It was emotionally wrenching. I knew the outcome. I also know what usually happens. The usual didn't happen this time. If the usual had happened, Tech would have lost this game twice. :) But at the end...glorious victory!

Last year was extremely difficult. This year hasn't been a bed of roses. I cannot cannot cannot seem to get the breakthrough I need. I seem to be facing ongoing defeat in the three main areas of my life with no end in sight. But after watching that game again, I had a thought. Defeat is never guaranteed. No matter how hard things can be, I can't guarantee defeat. Maybe, if I keep playing hard enough, God will give me not just victory but glorious victory.

Are you facing the impossible in some area of life? Defeat is not guaranteed. When things look usual, it's hard to expect the unexpected, but it happens. Sometimes the unusual can happen enough times in a row that victory is guaranteed.