Character & Integrity
The call was wrong. Or at least you believe it was. And it affected the game.
That’s a real thing. Officiating is imperfect. Bad calls happen. They cost things. And the frustration is legitimate.
What you do with that frustration is where character shows up.
Read this passage slowly.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Romans 12:18 — NIVLet that sit for a second before you move.
As far as it depends on you. Paul is realistic — he doesn’t say live at peace with everyone unconditionally. He says do your part. The part that is yours to control. And in a competitive environment, the part that is yours to control is how you respond to the things you can’t control.
Bad calls are not in your control. The official’s judgment, their angle, their call in a fast-moving situation — none of that is yours. What is yours is the three seconds after the call. Whether you argue, complain, gesture, or visibly express your contempt for the decision. All of that is in your control. And all of it has consequences.
The consequences of visible frustration with officiating are consistent: it draws attention to you in ways that rarely help your case, it affects your focus for the next play, it can result in technical fouls or penalties that cost more than the original call, and it communicates to the opponent that they got to you.
The athlete who responds to a bad call by immediately refocusing on the next play has made a character decision and a competitive decision simultaneously. They’ve said: that call is not going to take me off my game. The next play is mine.
What depends on you: the next play. Own it.
The three seconds after a bad call are completely in your control. What you do with them is the character test.
How do you typically respond to calls that go against you? What does that response cost you, and what would the better response look like specifically?
Self-assessment of an actual pattern. Push for the specific response, not the ideal one.
That call is done. The next play is yours. Own it.
Most effective when used after a game where officiating was genuinely an issue. The frustration in the room makes the devotional more relevant.