{A Different Story} When A Final Round Got Turned Upside Down

Having fun with my wonderful team before our final round of Regional
Competition 2016

I sat across a table in Chick-fil-a a couple days ago from my Mock Trial Coach.

It had been awhile since I had seen him.

This meeting wasn't planned...my class had just gone out for lunch since it was our last week.

Some of us saw him driving through the drive through and my teammates and I ran out to say hello and bring him in to eat with us.

You see, it's not like I see him (or my team for that matter) very often. I am in an off season.

My season ended back in February when my team lost to the contending state champs in the final round of Regionals.

By 1 POINT.

We lost the chance to go to on to the State Competition by 1 POINT.

We never planned to lose that round.
We never planned to have to face one of the top teams in our state at our first competition.

We didn’t plan it...BUT GOD DID.

God planned for us to face one of the best teams in the state at our first competition.

After State competition with Veritas...the State Champs!

God planned that we wouldn't make it to States our first year as a team.
God planned that we would get to watch our "A Team" go through the State season, win the championship, and go on to Nationals.

Before our final round we prayed something along the lines of, "Lord, we would REALLY like to win this final round but more than that we want you to be glorified through this final round."

That's what we pray through every round, "May God be glorified through this round..."
And we always add on, "whether we win or lose."

Nobody thinks very often about the losing side of it though.
We want God to be glorified through our performance but often we want that to be through us winning.

That's not always how it works though.
Sometimes God is most glorified through a lost ballot...through a lost round.

That's not everybody's story but it's mine.

And to be honest...I  would not trade this year of Mock Trial for any other.

Goofing off with Gaston Christian School after our final round!

We had an amazing, fun, and exciting team.

We made some awesome memories.

We had dedicated coaches.

And we had three amazing rounds of competition.
The first two we won. In the final round, we were able, as a first year team, to hold our own against a senior team.

God gave us a story to tell.
It was not how any of us would have written it.
But it is part of God's beautiful masterpiece that he has created for us.