How to play the game of life

Binhi sang Pagtuo

October 25, 2010

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Dumaguete City!*

I saw the following words written in the wall of the Silliman University Gym:

“For when the Great Scorer writes down your name,

He writes not whether you win or lose,

But how you played the game.”

I have been an athlete since my elementary days and thanks to training of my father, I studied CPU with a full sports scholarship during my college years. Now, I am somewhat repaying my alma mater as the coach of Table Tennis varsity team. I have learned a lot from sports that influence how I view life.

Let me share four things from the word PLAY:

Be PASSIONATE. I would always encourage my players to play with passion. Passion is what fuels a person to go on no matter the odds. When you have passion, you are excited live life; you are enthusiastic to face another day.

LOVE life to the fullest. I read these words from the t-shirt of the College of Saint Benilde player: “Life is Short, Play Hard.” When we have come to realize that our life on earth is very short, it will change our attitude on how to view life. We need to love every moment of our life. I would always say to my players: “Every point counts. Play hard for each point.”

ALLOW God to shape our life. I believe that God does not want to intrude in our lives. God is not an intruder who just goes in without permission. We need to invite God in our hearts. God is saying, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Let us not make God wait outside of our lives.

YEARN for more. Lately, I have realized that life is an adventure – you’ll never know what would happen next; you just keep on discovering. Yes, we will never know what would happen in the future but we can be rest assured that God will be there for us. I always tell my players, “Prepare for any eventuality. If your one type of game doesn’t work, shift to another type. Maybe that type is the weakness of your opponent.” As they say in the ball games, “The ball is round.”

May God bless us all!

Sincerely,

Pastor Francis Neil G. Jalando-on

*I’m currently here for the 15th University Games hosted by Silliman University. CPU sent the following teams: Table Tennis women (my team), Football men (composed mainly of Korean students), Softball women, Sepak Takraw women, Chess, Taekwondo, Lawn Tennis and Volleyball women.