1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (ESV)
On this “Super Bowl Sunday” back in 1989, Lori and I along with Jason (5), Jordan (3) and Michelle (1) were excited and having our own Super Bowl party as our Bengals were making their second Super Bowl appearance in 6 years…and of course we’ve not been back for 22 years.
Early that morning ESPN began reporting a story about Cincinnati’s fullback Stanley Wilson.  Stanley had battled cocaine problems for a number of years and the report was Stanley had been found in the bathtub of his hotel room in a cocaine-induced stupor the night before the biggest game of his life.  Needless to say our beloved Bengals lost the game in the final minute and Stanley did not play. Most of us die-hard Bengal fans are still saying “what if” today as Stanley was an integral part of a very potent offensive machine. You also have to wonder how much Stanley’s situation played into the psyche of the team.Â
As a fellow addict (if you are not an addict replace the word addict with “broken person”) I know what Stanley was up against. If we don’t prepare ourselves daily for the devil’s attack, he will take us down. The devil is always looking for our weaknesses and for us addicts we are weak when the pressure is on and/or we are standing on one of life’s pinnacles or in one of life’s valleys.  Two of these things were going on in Stanley’s life on this Sunday twenty-two years ago.  Stanley resorted to his “go-to” behavior in order to handle it all. And although the 49er’s beat the Bengals, even more tragically, the devil had “devoured” Stanley…one more time.
Do you have a healthy “go-to” when the pressure is on and/or you are on top of your game or at the bottom of the heap? Or do you resort to the same old behavior? The behavior may not be an addiction it could be worry, gossip, procrastination, anger, fear of failure, jealousy, isolation, dishonesty, gluttony, lust etc… Only you and the devil know what your “go-to” is. It is so important to handle the highs and lows of life in a healthy manner.
Many years after that ill-fated day in Bengal history, our oldest son Jason revealed to us that after the Bengals lost, he looked at a puzzle of the United States he often played with and grabbed the state of California and threw it in the trash. He said he knew San Fransisco was a city located in California and he wanted nothing to do with the city where the 49er’s came from. Now that is a healthy way of handling a tough life situation. 🙂
Over a year ago I wrote a blog on “Go-To’s” https://www.eaglelaunch.com/go-tos. Check it out as it may help you handle the emotions that come with success, failure and the pressures of life.
“Go Steelers and Go Packers”…that is the “go-to” cheer I have developed over the past 22 years for this Sunday. It is my attempt to handle the emotions of being in the valley with the rest of my Bengal fans in a healthy way on another boring Super Bowl Sunday.
P.E.A.C.E.
Well said Jay. In my addiction, it seemed like I waited for the most un-opportune times to prove to myself and others that I was still in control of my disease.
Thanks for your E, S and H.
Best,
Tom Mac