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SAMPLE from 2024: Be Humble in Victory and Defeat
- Fantasy Football Fellowship
- Dec 10, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: May 28
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Be Humble in Victory and Defeat
At the beginning of the year, every manager sets out to make the playoffs and ultimately win it all. As the Fantasy Football regular season winds down, only the top teams will move on to the playoffs.
That means league members are dealing with the pain of defeat and realizing that their team wasn’t good enough to make the playoffs.
We all think we’ll draft an unstoppable team and win every game, but at some point, most managers are humbled by the truth that we aren’t unbeatable.
We understand that so much is out of our control, and we must admit to our wrong choices. We also have to accept not knowing as much as we thought we did.
Fantasy Football is humbling because nobody wins every week or the championship every season, and we often come up short. Hopefully, the humbling process will not destroy us to the point of giving up and not playing Fantasy anymore; instead, it will cause us to let go of our prideful attitudes as we aim to get better next season.
On the flip side, it’s easy for this year's Fantasy Football playoff teams and eventual champions to be filled with pride and arrogance for how they finished the season and, in some cases, dominated their opponents. By winning, they can be misled into thinking they have all the answers and relish that their team is better than the rest of the league.
They might brag to the rest of the league and tell others how great they are at Fantasy. They want to garner attention, take all the credit, and ensure everyone is reminded they are heading to the playoffs. They like to rub it into the other managers they finished better than them, forgetting that they never laced up their cleats or put on a helmet!
Undoubtedly, winning at Fantasy is fun, exciting, and worth celebrating, but it should be done with humility, knowing that so much is out of our control. Winning is what we want to do, but how we win matters. We must be humble and thankful instead of prideful and arrogant, knowing that next season might look different.
Humility is a virtue that goes beyond Fantasy and is one we want to pursue in all areas of life. However, it’s challenging to remain humble. When things are going well for us at work or with our family, it’s easy for pride and arrogance to take over.
We can quickly get caught up in bragging, garnering attention, and making sure people know how great we are. Yes, it’s fun to celebrate cool things that happen in life, but when we take all the credit and direct the focus on ourselves, we can get caught up in the dangers of pride.
We are warned in Proverbs 11:2 (AMP): “When pride comes [boiling up with an arrogant attitude of self-importance], then come dishonor and shame, But with the humble [the teachable who have been chiseled by trial and who have learned to walk humbly with God] there is wisdom and soundness of mind.”
Jesus says in Luke 14:11 (NLT), “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Humility comes when we realize that every breath, heartbeat, and blessing is a gift from God. We may accomplish amazing things, but we must acknowledge He is the source of life and the One empowering us to do what we do.
Ultimately, humility enables us to surrender to Jesus in the first place when we acknowledge we are sinners in need of a Savior. Then, as we follow Jesus, we must walk humbly with Him and look at His example of humility.
The truth is, so much is out of our control, and we are limited and desperately need God every moment of every day. When we grasp that and place ourselves under the authority of the One who created us and now guides us, we can’t help but be humble and thankful.
Philippians 2:13 (AMP) tells us, “For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.”
The other reality to consider is that our circumstances often humble us even more. Just like when we lose in Fantasy, we frequently face losses and challenges that remind us of our brokenness, weaknesses, and inability to be undefeated.
Hopefully, these times don't cause us to give up but rather bring us to our knees in humble surrender as we trust and depend on Jesus, knowing how much we need Him.
In all cases, humility is valued and pursued as the fruit of a humble life. Proverbs 22:4 (AMP) explains, “The reward of humility [that is, having a realistic view of one’s importance] and the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the Lord Is riches, honor, and life.”
David writes about God in Psalm 25:9 (ESV), “He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way.”
Let's enjoy the wins in Fantasy and life, but let's do so with humility.
1. What are you most proud of from your Fantasy season?
2. What player were you feeling great about after his big performances and then his injury
humbled you?
4. How is playing Fantasy Football a humbling experience?
5. In life, what causes you the most pride and arrogance?
7. How have you become more humble while growing in your faith?
8. Why is humility such a valuable character trait?
9. Why is pride so destructive?
"A player in football is called a "quarterback" because in the early formations of the game, they lined up roughly a "quarter of the way back" behind the offensive line, positioned between the fullback who was further back and the halfbacks who were closer to the line of scrimmage; essentially, they were positioned "quarter back" from the running backs." — AI Overview
