Dr. Lisa Petronis

The Game of Life

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I've loved and played sports my entire life. When I was a kid, I was given the nickname Mike Tyson by my softball coaches. In that era, Tyson's knock out punch was extraordinary. As for me, I understood that my nickname was a great compliment to my own extraordinary power hitting the softball. The most legendary event in my softball career was was the day I crushed the ball so hard I knocked the cover off! Down the road some years when I played basketball in college I was given the nickname Charles Barkley. Like Barkley, while not the tallest player in the paint, I came to dominate as a powerful rebounder against players  much bigger and more talented than myself.  My physical strength was a force to be reckoned with on the court. Personal strength is a characteristic of myself I came to appreciate as it was recognized and celebrated by others. Through sports and through life, it was made apparent to me that the strength I possessed, which came to be a source of joy and goodness, not just for myself but for those around me, was the virtue of fortitude.

 

So many lessons I learned from sports apply to life. Sports, like life, is a training ground for virtue. In sports as in life there are certain fundamentals, which are the universal guidelines and principles that lead to greatness.  More times than I can count my coaches would instruct me back to the fundamentals as a way to get back in the game and overcome the challenge I was confronted with. We all need coaches who can see the big picture, who know deeply the fundamentals of the game, can draw out from us our best, and keep us on the right path when we lose our way.

 

In sport, as in life, those who journey with us can see in us, things that sometimes we cannot see in ourselves. The special ones who accompany us on our many roads can provide us with encouragement and support to strengthen gifts and talents. Journeying with people for over twenty years has shown me again and again the powerful effect I have in people's lives. Grounded in wisdom about the fundamentals of life and living, I am able to help people find their way, stay focused on the good things in life, and achieve their best.

 

Now a middle aged, woman I am every bit the strong passionate person everyone wanted on their team. I share this so you will know, that when we team up, we can accomplish great things together.

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Do you know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize. Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a persishable crown, but we an imperishable one. 1 Cor 9:24-25