"All In" is the sermon series that leads off 2012 at the church my family attends. Being "all in" is often a term used in athletics to get student-athletes and coaches completely committed to the cause of their team. Our church handed out poker chips as a symbol of "all in", which signifies one's willingness to risk it all, to throw all you got in the pot. Even for the most devout Christians, trusting God with all you do is a daily challenge. The problem is that if we go "all in" we risk ending up being hurt and exposed to criticism. My wife recently told me after a loss that she was mad at me because my basketball team had caused her expectations to rise after two consecutive wins, and a tough home loss had crushed her. It's not the high expectations that cause her pain, it was the risk she took when she allowed her expectations to rise. The thought of "I am better off not caring," is a much safer road. John Robinson, a former football coach at Southern Cal and the LA Rams once said, "Winning is the highest of highs and losing is misery". Yet, I will take either the win or the loss over sitting on the middle of a fence and living life in the safe lane. It reminds of the saying that a ship in harbor is safe, but that's not what ships were made for. In essence, Robinson was "all in" coaching football because he undertsood the spectrum, and realized the result of a risk that failed was better than not risking at all.
Such is the essence of sport at any level. Whether you play football at Alabama or LSU or middle school soccer, the idea is put it "all in" and risk what you have. There are special student-athletes that come along at Erskine who are willing to go "all in." They practice long after their teams are done and every day strive to get better. They play hard and they win, but sometimes they lose, and instead of giving up, they work even harder. At the end of a four-year career it isn't how many times they won or how many times they lost that provides the sense of accomplishment but the mere fact that they had done ALL they could with what God had given them. Winning and losing in sports sometimes comes down to just one single play or one single moment. It is really what makes sports so exciting. But what makes sports great are the players who are willing to take the chip and throw it all in without considering the risk. I am reminded of a college teammate who took a final shot in a basketball game with our team down one point and he missed it. He looked at me in the locker room almost smiling, "sorry I missed it but what a great feeling getting a chance to take it." I was fairly mad at him at the time, but I have come to realize what he meant. He was "all in" in that moment, completely committed to taking the final shot, and he was willing to accept the result, good or bad. My prayer for every student-athlete is that they get that type of opportunity and accept being "all in." It won't always bring the highest of highs but when it brings the misery at least you know it was better than not doing anything at all. Go Fleet, leave the harbor and be remarkable!
