My wife and I love to relax by watching tennis. In the first round of the tournament being played at Indian Wells, CA, we saw the up-and-coming American Jack Sock defeat Yen-Hsun Lu of Taiwan. As the camera closed in on Jack after his win, he made the sign of the cross, pointed a finger to the sky and looked up with a big smile on his face clearly thanking Jesus for His role in the victory.
A funny thought occurred to us. When had we seen a tennis player, or any other athlete for that matter, make the sign of the cross, or any other symbolic recognition of the Divine, after a loss? Do athletes who acknowledge the Lord after a win think He isn't with them after a loss?
In defeat, there is a tendency to close down and be judgmental. When we get down on ourselves, it is easy to forget that the Divine is continually rooting for us to get back up and make the most out of the next opportunity to move forward.
When we are down, remembering that we are living in an ocean of love can be a gateway to leave the past behind and more forward with positive energy. The following chapter from my book, Living Wisely, touches on this idea:
You are living in an ocean of love.
When our hearts and minds are closed to love, we cannot fulfill our potential. My Kabbalah teacher taught that we are here to be fully human. That means not rejecting any part of ourselves, especially the parts we don't like. Rather, she encouraged her students to find healthy ways to bring the dark and light parts of our being into consciousness and then into the healing field of love that is at the heartbeat of creation.
As you accept more parts of yourself, more light will fill your heart and mind. You will be creating space to experience the ocean of love that manifests itself in infinite ways. This love that is ever present in our hearts connects us to being alive like nothing else does. Be open to let this love bathe and heal you.
Are you ready to make more room for love? If not, what are you holding onto that is getting in the way?
Perhaps it is too much to ask of a professional athlete who is feeling the sting of defeat to publicly acknowledge the Divine. I wonder what the reaction of fans and pundits would be if this did happen. Would it start a discussion on the role of faith and love on the greater playing field of life? Regardless of what professional athletes do after a win or a loss, I welcome your thoughts and experiences of the role divine love played in your victories or defeats.