Priesthood or Final Four?

cougdoc wrote:
This discussion actually came up in EQ on sunday. We (almost) all agreed that the Cougs would handle either Wisc or Butler, so Thursday's game was really for the Final Four. One brother asked if we thought that God cared whether BYU wins or loses any particular game in any sport. The majority said that He does, mostly because of the tremendous exposure that a continued Jimmer run would mean for the school and church. This brother then asserted that if in fact God takes a personal interest in the outcome of BYU sporting events, He would intervene to ensure that BYU loses on Thursday night so as to remove the temptation next Saturday. I was surprised that about half of the quorum agreed he was right.

Wow, what was the lesson actually supposed to be on?



That lesson just got Jimmered.

cougdoc wrote:
This brother then asserted that if in fact God takes a personal interest in the outcome of BYU sporting events, He would intervene to ensure that BYU loses on Thursday night so as to remove the temptation next Saturday.

No, this brother was thinking so totally within the box that it's sickening. If God took a personal interest in the outcome of the game, He would intervene by having BYU totally destroy its opponents in the next two games and then, for the Final Four, the Lord will do something like causing a minor earthquake in order to delay the game or cause the other team to catch some weird illness that will make them all miss the game. That is what He would probably do if He wanted to get personally involved in the game, but I don't think He will. He very, very seldom does anything like that but if He did, I wouldn't complain about it.

BYU loses in order to avoid conflicting with Priesthood session as a hand of God act? Wow, glad I am not in that quorum. I'd have ripped all those Ute fans a new one. Remember when Utah made in it 1998,and all the people who watched that game? Yeah, I do. People can be so dumb. First off, god cares zero for the outcome of any game ever. What he cares about are the individual participants, and the lessons they learn from winning or losing. Hopefully humility. It is not about any result ever, but what is learned from such an experience. How you handle winning or handle losing exposes one's character, and potentially through some scarring, might help build it as well. But please, do not ever act like God plays favorites among his children. The assertion is asinine.

Well said Lawboy. This is especially true because games are, of necessity, win-lose situations, at least on the surface. I think win-win situations are what we're looking for. It's gaining the experience of winning or losing that is important, and what makes a game like this a win-win, regardless of the score. If we lose tonight, I'll have to somehow elevate myself above the depths of disappointment, crawl out of my hole in the morning, and go back to work. If we win, I'll have to be humble about it even though I may feel like shouting from the rooftops instead (or try to figure out how the two aren't mutually exclusive).

There are no losers in God's book. He loves us all and wants all of us to do our best. That goes for BYU and for the team they're playing.



Does he care? Yes, just like my mom or dad cares. Doesn't mean mom is going to go chew my boss out when something doesn't go right at work (at least I hope not).

God doesn't care about BYU winning over another team. However, God will not be mocked, and on some occasions, magic happens as a result.



I cite as my evidence the 1980 Holiday Bowl, the watershed moment of BYU sports' exposure to the masses and use as a missionary tool. Without that win, BYU would have still been without a bowl win, and may never have hit the big time enough to land the recruits we needed for what happened in 1984, or have even been in the discussion for the 1984 title even with the undefeated season. People were talking about our offense before this game, but after it we had become a national player.



Back to the point: during the timeout McMahon called to change the coaches mind about punting on 4th and short, the SMU cheerleaders ran a sign around the stadium saying, "So, Mormons, where is your God now?" And of course the rest is history. Sweet, beautiful history. Now, do I know for sure that there was divine intervention in that game? No. But the timing is interesting, and the outcome has furthered His purposes, so who is to rule it out?

I wonder what sports would be like in God's eyes. He would know the outcome before the game even started. There isn't any type of nail biters for Him.



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Simply put, whatever you are doing, as long as it is an honest, good endeavor, the Lord will bless you in it when you live gospel principles and work hard. Doesn't mean you'll win every game, doesn't mean you'll be the best, but the Lord will help you develop your talent and do your best.