March Madness and Grief

It’s that time of year again, March Madness. A time when almost everyone pays attention to college basketball and acts like they know how things will turn out. While substitute teaching Thursday, one boy that I have gotten to know over the last year and a half was going on and on about the Kentucky Wildcats as any good fan would do.

As a North Carolina fan myself, this became quite an ordeal between us during class. He kept trying to convince me that Kentucky was the better team (especially since they had beaten North Carolina earlier this season).

The problem came a few hours later when an underdog Oakland team beat Kentucky in the first round of the tournament. As the game was in the final few minutes, I thought of this boy and what I would say to him the next day since I was subbing in his class again on Friday.

I had every intention to give him a hard time, but when I saw him enter the school Friday morning, all I said to him was, “So about last night…”

He immediately shook his head and said, “No Mr. Hutchinson, we do not need to talk about that.”

He just kept muttering about some player that dominated Kentucky.

I actually began to feel sorry for him. I remember what it was like when I was in 8th grade and was totally consumed by sports. Thinking that the outcome affected my life somehow.

Amid this fun ordeal, I was also helping a family plan a funeral. I was reminded that heartbreak can come in a variety of ways - some may not be so serious and some very real.

Psalm 34:18 says, "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

This psalm is attributed to King David describing a time when he was on the run from Saul and found himself in the presence of the priest, Abimelek. David, in a season of constant fear and attack reminded himself, his men, and us of God’s closeness to those in sorrow.

Sometimes, we find ourselves in seasons of genuine grief and sorrow. Unfortunately, many people ignore their grief trying to “tough it out” or “be strong”. Instead, it wears away at them and crushes them from within.

It is okay to be sad. It is okay to grieve. It is okay to mourn.

But it is also important to remember what is appropriate to feel this way about. While fun to think of college basketball tournaments, it really doesn’t matter in the larger context of our lives.

However, whether we think of a sports team that flamed out on us or at the loss of a loved one, grief is part of life, and God promises us that He will be there for us.

So as you go through the upcoming week. I encourage you to trust God with that grief and turn to Him for He is the one who is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Anyway, I was just thinking…