When I was in college I helped out the baseball team at USC.  We had to travel to Clemson one Wednesday night to play them.  It was freezing cold.  The game started around 7pm or so.  It was three hours of them (Clemson) beating us (USC) horribly.  We lost 17-3.  At no point was there ever a chance.  The game just dragged on while inning after inning they just score more runs and crushed us.  It was terrible.

Now, you need to know this about USC baseball in the 90′s.  The coach (at the time) loathed, detested, hated losing.  Everybody hates losing, but I have never seen someone in my life hate to lose more than him.  I mean, scary.

After the game all we wanted to do was get on the bus for the 2 1/2 hour drive back home.  It was like 11pm already and everybody was tired and hungry.  Everyone was on the bus except for the coach who hated losing.  And even though we just got killed spirits were high on the bus.  Probably a little too high…

The coach got on the bus last and heard the “party” (I quote the word “party” to verify the absurdity that there was a party).  However, what he heard was a party.  Then he became enraged.  He ripped a newspaper out of a guys hands and lit into everyone on the bus and ordered everyone not to talk, but, instead to think about the game we just lost.

No one knew what to do.  It was so scorching hot on the bus because the driver had turn on the heat because it was cold outside; and we were all about to pass out.  Because no one was allowed to talk, no one would ask the bus driver to turn down the heat.  Being tired and hot, no one had a chance of staying awake.  This infuriated the coach.  No one was thinking about the game we just lost, we were all sleeping.

So, here’s the question, what does a baseball game have to do with Jesus?
Answer: The choice he made to just not listen and end all conversation, no matter what.

I wonder if unbelievers feel that way around you?  You don’t listen, end all conversation, no matter what.
Do you always have to be right?  Are you willing to listen?  I’m not saying you don’t keep your beliefs or still stand up for truth.  But, as Christians, we are called to listen.

James 1:19 – “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger“