When Things Work Out

     "It's over, it's over! Cleveland is a city of champions once again!" 

  

      On Father's Day weekend 2 years ago, something magical happened in Oakland: for the first time in 52 years, a Cleveland sports team won it all. In a city tormented by the word "The" - The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The Error, The Decision - it's on fitting that there was The Block. Only this time, it was in Cleveland's favor. Cleveland gave my Dad a Father's Day gift that night - and plenty of others, too. This time in Cleveland, it all worked out. 

     Sometimes in life, things don't work out. We lose, get rejected, fall short, or things fall through for one reason or another. It's sad enough when it happens to fictional characters in a TV show, movie, or book, it's even worse when it happens to us in real life. We get jaded, depressed, maybe even cynical. And it stinks. 

     But sometimes in life, things do work out. We win, get accepted, are good enough, things work out for one reason or another. We get pretty happy when it happens to fictional characters or to our friends - and we get even more excited when it happens to us. Life is great and full of joy and optimism. 

     Life's full of moments that don't work out, but I'd rather spend my time focusing on the times when things do work out, when everything comes together. Those are the moments that we'll fondly remember and gladly tell others about. The question is: what do we do when things do work out?

     Well, when things work out, it is important that we not get too high off of an emotional high like that (likewise, we shouldn't get too low off of an emotional low). If we let the good and bad times dictate our emotions and mood, we'll be in for a roller coaster, one that's just not sustainable. And if we put all of our happiness into these emotional highs, we're dangerously putting it into moments that may don't come all that often. Most of life is somewhere in between the highs and lows. 

     Another good thing to do in these moments is to be - and stay - humble. There's a reason people say "pride goes before a fall". When things work out, it is often a collective effort and not just because of one person. Heck, in the event of our favorite team winning, it is often something that we had little influence over (other than rooting for them from afar, of course). Besides, no one wants to be around the person that's always bragging about his or her highs. As Paul wrote, if we are to boast, it should be in the Lord, not ourselves (1 Corinthians 1:31). 

     Slightly related to the above paragraph: don't rest on your laurels or get complacent. It's one thing to be celebrating something in the moment, it's another thing to still be boasting of it years later. If we keep trying to relive our "glory days", the current days will pass us by. And odds are people are going to get annoyed if we bring up our past successes every chance we get. 

     The first few items are things to keep in mind when things work out. Namely,  to stay grounded and be humble. But there is one important thing that we should do when things work out: celebrate! No reason to overthink this one - we should absolutely celebrate and enjoy the moment! There are times we think what we have or where we are will last forever, but things have a way of changing sooner than we think. With that in mind, we should absolutely take that step back and soak in the moment, especially if it's around people we love and care about. Take pictures, hug people, tell them you love them, and lock that moment in your heart. 

      In a way, it is the times when things don't work out that make us enjoy the times that things do work out that much more. If things always worked out, we could numb to it or not thoroughly enjoy such moments. When we inch closely to things working out, it can be easy to get lost in anxiety or fear that something will go wrong at the last possible moment - but when we get to the finish line and there are no strings attached, it's an amazing feeling. That's kind of how I felt with finishing high school and college - that there wasn't another test to take or another group project to dread. All I had to do was put on a robe and funny-looking hat and walk across a stage. Or when the Packers won the Super Bowl a few years ago, I found myself running around the house, that this time there wasn't another "4th and 26" or late interception. We can just truly enjoy it all. 

     In the end, we can find rest in another verse that Paul wrote, too: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). Life is fall of surprise, of ups and downs. There's going to be bad times. There's going to be middle of the road times. And there's going to be good times. And when we are in those good times and it all works out, let us not overthink it - let us celebrate!