Elmer "Lloyd" Matherne
February 15, 2010
Attempt to raise rates denied by insurance dept.
February 18, 2010More viewers in the U.S. watched the New Orleans Saints’ victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl than any other program in television history. This is not counting the millions of others who watched the game on televisions and computers throughout the world.
We can learn many lessons from the Saints’ Super Bowl victory, including these:
• Lesson 1: Never give up.
After spending “43 years in the desert,” the Saints finally reached the “promise land.” In the previous 42 years, the Black and Gold only had eight winning seasons and two playoff victories. We all remember the embarrassed fans that wore paper bags over their heads.
However, the faithful never stopped believing that someday things would be different. They went through many years of hardships but never gave up.
Conrad Hilton once said, “Achievement seems to be connected with action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” When difficulties confront us in life, never give up.
• Lesson 2: Teamwork is essential.
The Saints’ win was a team effort. Everyone played together and each person recognized the other members’ gifts and talents. Drew Brees is a good quarterback and Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush are good running backs, but they would not be any good if they did not have good linemen to block for them.
St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians talks about the importance of being a team. He used the image of a human body, but he could have used the comparison of a football team if he were living today. Paul explained that it is the Holy Spirit who brings people to faith in Christ in the first place and who determines the different abilities that Christians have.
As the Body of Christ, we must all use our gifts and talents to build God’s kingdom here on earth. All our gifts are important. Our God-given gifts are meant to be shared. We must use them for the work that God wants the Church to do.
• Lesson 3: Don’t let the opinions of others discourage you.
The Saints were 5-point underdogs. I listened to one commentary on National Public Radio predict that the Colts would open up the game in the second half and New Orleans would be helpless to stop them. Well, just the opposite happened.
Jim Rohn talks about the necessity of setting goals for ourselves. “There’s no telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There’s no telling what you can do when you believe in them. And there’s no telling what will happen when you act upon them.”
The Saints set goals for themselves and didn’t pay attention to the national media. Never let anyone else determine how you are going to live. Know where you are going in life and never let the opinion of others stop you from reaching your goals.
• Lesson 4: We feed off each other.
Author Tom Hopkins once said, “Surround yourself with people most like the person you want to become. Stay away from anyone who can or will bring you down.” The Saints got rid of players with negative attitudes and found others who wanted to win. That winning attitude fed off each other and overflowed into the entire community and gave the Katrina devastated community a sense of hope.
Team spirit makes a substantial difference. The spirit of a group connects the various members and makes the whole more than just the sum of its parts. It is spirit that makes a group of people a family and not just individuals who live in the same house.
May God’s Spirit bring out the best in each of us. Be a team player for God.
