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You’ve probably never heard the name Vinko Bogataj. Although, chances are good you’ve seen him on television dozens of times. Bogataj was a ski jumper from Yugoslavia who, during the 1970 world championship, fell during takeoff and landed on his head. He recovered fully from his injuries and would likely have gone back to being an obscure athlete in a little known sport except for one thing. For the next 30 years, ABC’s Wide World of Sports would run footage of Vinko Bogataj’s spectacular crash with the unforgettable voiceover “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”
I’m Mark Evans, pastor of the Church at Rock Creek. You know, sometimes our best opportunities for the future come from our most spectacular defeats in the past. Think about it. While most of us don’t live out our failures on worldwide television, we nevertheless know, all too well, the “agony of defeat.” You know, the marriage that didn’t work out; the job that didn’t work out; the plans that never materialized. Failure is as common as the grass we walk on in our front yard; it affects all of us without exception. What’s different is our response to failure; that’s what sets us apart. The fact is this; you’ll never know the “thrill of victory” unless you’re willing to risk the “agony of defeat.”
