the long game
america’s sweetheart actually plays football and he is proof that timing isn’t linear
My football team (Go birds!) officially lost in the Wild Card round today during the playoffs :(
Last season, they won the Super Bowl.
This year, the season ended early.
Same work ethic, but things didn’t click during the games. Same discipline, but they would fumble the ball in times that mattered the most. So many tough learning lessons, but also so many great moments and victories.
Just a completely different outcome than last year.
As a sports girl, I want my team to win all the time, but losing is also inevitable.
I was always inspired by Jalen Hurt’s career journey because it has never followed the typical arc of instant success.
He was benched on the biggest stage in college football, written off publicly, and forced to rebuild his confidence in real time. He transferred, started over, stayed disciplined when it would’ve been easier to disappear.
Even in the NFL, nothing about his rise was handed to him. He was questioned, underestimated, and doubted long after he proved he belonged.
His story isn’t linear, but it’s one of resilience, faith, and staying ready for a season that didn’t arrive when he thought it would.
We like to believe timing moves forward in a clear way and that once you win, you keep winning. That if you do everything right, the results will follow in order. But football doesn’t work like that. And neither does life.
Some seasons reward you publicly.
Others ask you to keep showing up with nothing to show for it.
What stands out to me about Jalen isn’t just his athletic talent, it’s his dedication. He doesn’t let the highs define him, and he doesn’t let the lows crush him either. He talks about faith often, but not in a performative way. More like someone who knows outcomes are temporary, and character is what matters.
Losing the Super Bowl back in 2023, not making it the year after, then winning the Super Bowl in 2025 didn’t exempt him from disappointment this year. Making the Playoffs, just to lose in the Wild Card round doesn’t erase what he’s already proven in the past.
But that contrast feels painfully familiar.
There are years where you think, this is it. This year it all comes together and all of the work pays off. This is year the promise finally shows up, especially after winning it all the year before.
And then… it just doesn’t.
I’ve had seasons where I was certain I was on the brink of something only to find myself back in uncertainty again. Same prayers and reliance on God. Different result.
It’s easy to assume that means God forgot you or you missed your chance, especially when life feels a bit stagnant.
But one season is not the entire story.
You can win it all and still have a down year.
You can lose early and still be exactly where you’re meant to be.
You can be faithful and still be disappointed.
None of that means God stopped showing up.
Faith isn’t believing that every season will be victorious. It’s trusting God in the seasons that don’t make sense, like the early exits, the ones that look like regression but aren’t and the ones where you barely made the playoffs.
Timing isn’t linear. Growth isn’t either.
Some years are about winning.
Some years are about endurance.
Some years are about learning how not to let the scoreboard define you.
The season is over, but the story isn’t.
Jalen, will of course, play again next season and so will I, in my own way.
Still trusting that just because this year started with challenges way different than imagined doesn’t mean it’s a wasted one.
You win some seasons. You lose (and learn) some seasons.
But if you keep your faith, and show up again next year, you might have a chance to win the Super Bowl.
xoxo,
Day
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