Let’s zoom out
Several weeks ago, in the midst of the wonderfully exciting World Cup tournament here in the United States, I found myself listening to a conversation on National Public Radio between the host and a sports psychologist. The psychologist was offering advice to those of us who may experience some serious sadness when “our” team loses.
Or, for those of us who aren’t so into sports… but have family and friends who are diehard fans… the question was: how do we offer our condolences or support? What do you say when your heavily favored team gets upset? Or when they lose in the final seconds of a nail-biter?
Well, according to this mental health professional, there are three words to say that can be most helpful in such situations: Let’s. Zoom. Out.
In other words, he said, take a look at the bigger picture. Yes, your team lost earlier than you hoped… but what an incredibly successful season they had! No, the star player didn’t perform as you expected… but don’t forget about what joy the whole team brought to their fans!
Afterall, in just about every sport, there’s only one team that ends their season with a win. Everyone else, whether fans or the team members themselves, must grapple with some feelings of disappointment. So, the suggestion to zoom out helps us focus on more than just the final game. At the end of the day, what can we find to celebrate and be grateful for?
It dawned on me that this was pretty good advice for all of life, not just with sports. When we’re feeling frustrated that life hasn’t gone how we expected, disappointed that we haven’t ended up quite where we thought we would, or angry that our life’s circumstances aren’t what we hoped for — the best option might be to zoom out a bit.
What small victories can we be grateful for? If it’s been a tough stretch of health challenges or work disappointments, are there still positive moments with friends or relatively good days we can celebrate? Hopefully zooming out helps us see beyond the most difficult moments, noticing some broader good that’s present.
Even the most faithful among us have every right to find ourselves, at times, disappointed with God, discouraged by certain circumstances that feel outside of our control. But… let’s zoom out. How might our perspective change? Can we spot the goodness of God shining through the care of others? A semblance of hope, even when day-to-day life is a bit overwhelming? The ability to smile, even if it only lasts for a little bit?
For the greatest sports teams, disappointments are reality. And for the most optimistic among us, there are bound to be bumps in the road. The possibility of noticing God’s goodness and discovering joy in the midst of it all may very well depend on our ability to shift perspective. What might you notice if you zoomed out a bit today?
