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SAMPLE from 2024: It's Not My Fault
- Fantasy Football Fellowship
- Nov 19, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: May 28
It's Not My Fault
Most Fantasy Football managers who have played for a while are confident they can draft a strong team, put together successful weekly lineups, and make the right moves throughout the season. However, sometimes, the players we thought would be great are disappointments.
Despite our high hopes, our Fantasy team often loses many more games than we thought they would. When this happens, we complain about our bad Fantasy season, quickly shift the blame for why we lost certain matchups, and make excuses for our poor decision-making. We tell ourselves or others, “It’s not my fault,” and instead…
· Blame the actual NFL player for not being a more productive player on our Fantasy
team.
· Blame all the injuries our Fantasy team dealt with.
· Blame the coaches for not calling enough touchdown plays for the players on our
Fantasy team.
· Blame the Fantasy analyst who told us to start that player, and he ended up with one
Fantasy point.
· Blame the refs for not giving our player the catch he deserved, which made our team
lose by one point.
· Blame the Fantasy schedule for always having to play the highest-scoring team of the
week.
· Blame our loss on having too many players on a bye.
· Blame our bad draft on our draft position and having the 8th pick.
· Blame our close loss on our opponent being lucky.
We can come up with excuses and people to blame all day long, and yes, there may be legitimate reasons to complain about how our season has turned out. But we need to be willing to own our mistakes since we're the ones who drafted the players, made the lineup decisions, added and dropped players on the waiver wire, and accepted and rejected trade offers.
After all, we're responsible for our Fantasy team, and although so much is out of our control, it doesn’t give us the green light to blame, complain, and make excuses. We must acknowledge that we chose the wrong players, made foolish lineup decisions, and shouldn’t have rejected that trade offer.
Sometimes, it’s just not our season, and we can either say, “It’s not my fault,” or say, “I’m the manager, it was my bad, and I just didn’t choose the right players this year.”
When it comes to our lives, we can find ourselves in a tough spot and quickly blame others. We can make excuses for our behavior or current circumstances and complain about our jobs, classes, coaches, teachers, bosses, kids, or spouses.
Yes, so much is out of our control, and there may be legitimate reasons to complain about what’s happened to us. However, the reality is that we all make choices and sometimes make the wrong ones. But when we make mistakes and blow it somehow, are we willing to take ownership of our actions...or do we point our fingers at someone/something else?
When we lose in life, the sooner we’re willing to go from “It’s not my fault” to “It’s my bad,” the quicker we can evaluate, learn, and move forward.
1 John 1:8-9 (AMP) tells us, “If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [His Word does not live in our hearts.] If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].”
We must acknowledge we are sinners and admit when we sin. As we surrender our lives to Jesus and follow Him, confessing and repenting is something we must be willing to do as we rest in God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
Proverbs 28:13 (NLT) says, “People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.”
We can echo Psalm 32:5 (ESV): “I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”
It’s hard to admit when we’re wrong or when we sin. We’d much rather make excuses, blame someone else, and complain about the bad things that have affected us, but ultimately, we are responsible for our behavior, mindset, and choices made while on this earth.
Paul reminds us in Romans 14:10-12 (TLB): “You have no right to criticize your brother or look down on him. Remember, each of us will stand personally before the Judgment Seat of God. For it is written, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue confess to God.’ Yes, each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
We won’t blame then, so let’s not blame now. Prideful people are unwilling to admit when it’s their fault, so we must choose humility and embrace the grace available to us through Jesus as we turn to Him and say, “My bad,” "I was wrong," and “I need You.”
Let’s be encouraged this week by James 4:6 (AMP): “But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, 'God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness].'”
If you could go back to this year's Fantasy draft, what is the number one thing you would do differently, and why?
What is the biggest mistake that you have made as a Fantasy manager during the season this year?
What/who are you most likely to blame when your Fantasy season isn't going well?
What are your most common excuses if you're having a lousy Fantasy season?
What are the situations or areas in which you complain about everyone else or blame others the most? Why do you think you tend to complain about those things?
Why is it such a big deal when you choose to blame and fail to acknowledge your sins and take accountability?
What is the difference between being in a culture (at home, work, with friends) of blame and excuse-making and a culture of accountability and grace?
How have you experienced the blessing of openly confessing your sin, not making excuses, or blaming others?
Most conflicts involve multiple people who are sinning against one another. How can you avoid shifting the blame away from yourself in such situations and own your role in the conflict?
How can you respond to others confessing their sins and owning their mistakes?
Original NFL rules did not allow substitutions, meaning every player had to play the entire game on both sides of the ball.
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