These Virginia basket ball players gain far more than a simple win over Texas Tech

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Isaiah 53:3

As I was watching Virginia coach, Tony Bennet, I couldn't help but notice how peaceful he was on the sideline as he coached his players to the win over Texas Tech.  

I have to admit that the game between these two teams was perhaps the most exciting game I've ever watched. The next morning I heard my favorite Christian radio station say something about Coach Bennett- that he played Tauren Wells song, Hills and Valleys before the game as a reminder that life is often filled with disappointments.


As I listened to the lyrics I was reflecting the teachable moment coach Bennett had with his team- to remind each of them that life is filled with grief and loss, and as the words reflect that we can always turn to God for solace and comfort.


Such timely words of wisdom in a week filled with downed passenger jets, a fame Minnesota millionaire found shot to death along with his wife in the bedroom of their home, and the collateral damage that this tragedy has on those who knew them. So often we forget that God is truly in control of our lives simply by taking His rightful seat leaving God on the sidelines of life.


I've learned the way we recover from the losses of life is by looking to the cross of Jesus Christ, the son of God who suffered and died for each one of us and who knows suffer ing and can relate to those who suffer.


The Virginia University players gained far more than just the victory that night- they discovered that when a loss occurs the greatest source of healing comes from turning their pain over to their savior Jesus and placing one foot in front of the other, trusting Him that He knows what to do with their pain. Those words will remain embedded in their mind long after their playing days are completed.