Quotient Quizes #4 – There’s an old comment often used in sports that says, “It’s not over till it’s over.” This statement could not be more true than what we have experienced in 6 major sporting events in the last year. All 6 were considered to be over, but they weren’t over because the opponents came back and won. The WQ – winning quotient – was small but decisive.
The Australia Open is one of the four major tennis tournaments each year. This year, the finals featured two surprise players – Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. Those names are very familiar, but neither one had won in quite some time. Both of them had sat out the latter part of last year with injuries. Their match went five sets. In the 5th set, everybody thought it was over when Nadal broke Federer’s serve. But it wasn’t over for Federer until he won the last point! It wasn’t over till it was over!
The Big Dance – college basketball’s best 67 teams – was really something. In the finals, North Carolina hit an unbelievable jump shot to go ahead with 5 seconds left. Everybody thought the game was over. However, Villanova hit a long 3-pointer that won the game 77-74. It wasn’t over till it was over!
The NBA finals featured Cleveland going for its first professional sports basketball championship in many years. Golden State jumped ahead 3 games to 1 – everybody thought it was over. But Cleveland came back to win 2 games and tie it 3-3. The final game was played at Golden State. The Warriors were ahead, and everybody thought it was over, but LeBron James made an incredible block of a shot and Kyle Irving then scored a basket to win. It wasn’t over till it was over!
The World Series featured the Chicago Cubs. They hadn’t won a World Series in more years than anybody could remember. The Cubs were down 3 games to1. They came back to send the Series to a 7th game. At different points in the 7th game, one team went ahead, and people thought it was over. The Cubs came through with a 1-run win in the 10th inning. It wasn’t over till it was over!
The national college football championship was a rematch from the previous year. Alabama and Clemson battled hard, and one team took the lead and then the other. Alabama went ahead with little time on the clock. Everybody thought it was over, but Clemson scored with 6 seconds left. It wasn’t over till it was over!
In the recent 51st Super Bowl, Atlanta jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead. They increased the lead in the 3rd quarter to 28-3. Everybody thought it was over. Atlanta had an 8-point lead with 4 minutes left on the clock, and had the ball at the Patriots’ 20-yard line. All Ryan had to do was run the ball and kick a field goal. Everybody thought it was over. The Patriots tied the score then won in overtime 34-28. It’s not over till it’s over!
Sports ought to teach us that nobody should ever give up on any thing or any body. It may appear to be over, but it’s not over until it’s over. Don’t ever give up on the possibility of winning! Expand your WQ!
What are you engaged in that you might think may be over? Are you facing something where you think you can’t succeed? Are you praying for somebody without seeing results? Are you facing a situation that seems hopeless? Remember, it’s not over till it’s over.
When 3 million Israelites reached the Red Sea, they told Moses they wanted to go back to Egypt because they thought it was over. But Moses knew that when you follow God’s guidance, it’s never over! Moses’ WQ prevailed! Read Exodus 14.
What’s your WQ – Winning Quotient?
