Colossians 2:6-7 – And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
The locker room smells like sweat and disappointment.
A few boys stare at the floor, as if it might explain what just happened. The scoreboard still glowing in their minds, even though they’ve walked away from it. This is that painful place after a loss where nobody’s sure yet what this game says about them.
Their coach stands in front of them. They brace for correction. Maybe frustration. A breakdown of everything that went wrong. Instead, he pauses and reframes the moment.
He doesn’t deny the loss. He doesn’t soften it either. They didn’t play well. Mistakes were made. But he refuses to let the loss be the final word.
“You didn’t win today, but you didn’t walk away emptyhanded.” He says, “You’re better today than you were yesterday.”
Not because they won. They didn’t. Not because it feels good—it doesn’t. But because today gave them something yesterday couldn’t. Experience. Exposure. Clarity. They saw how another team exploited their weaknesses and their lack of miscommunication. They saw what pressure does to their focus.
Later—after the noise fades and the bus ride home goes quiet—that same truth shows up again. This time in an email from their coach. Near the bottom, it reads, “You are better today than you were yesterday.”
Even on a bad day. Especially on a bad day.
Because this is a Christian school, he goes one layer deeper. He reminds them that how they process the loss matters. God is shaping their hearts in real time—using disappointment and perseverance as tools. They now have more to work with than they did yesterday.
More roots. More depth. More formation.
That’s the hope of the Gospel—that it meets people who are unfinished and failing and still becoming. Before Jesus, failure only meant shame or finality. But now, even our missteps can be redeemed and repurposed.
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6–7).
Real life faith feels a lot like that locker room. We are all learning to move forward. No one graduates from growth. Layer by layer, root by root, God is working on us and helping us to become more like Him.
So today doesn’t have to feel like a win to be a step forward. Stay planted. Keep walking. Take the next faithful step of obedience that you can see.
Because growth counts—even when the scoreboard says otherwise.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
- Where in my life does the scoreboard feel discouraging right now?
- Have I been measuring growth only by visible wins?
- What might God be forming in me through disappointment?
- Am I rooted in Christ — or in outcomes?
- How do I typically respond to failure: with shame, frustration, or growth?
- Where is God inviting me to stay planted instead of walking away?
- What would it look like to choose gratitude, even in a season that doesn’t feel like a victory?