The Agony of Defeat

How would you like to be constantly reminded of failure? Ask Vinko Bogataj and he can tell you. You may never have heard of the Slovakian, but during much of 1970s through the 1990s, you could have seen his failure broadcast every Saturday on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. The program was introduced each week with the rather dramatic narration, “Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat… the human drama of athletic competition… This is ABC's Wide World of Sports! ” Accompanying the narration was a collection of sport clips that concluded with a snippet of Vinko’s infamous skiing accident of March 21, 1970, that coincided with the phrase, “And the agony of defeat.” Before millions of TV viewers week after week Vinko is seen careening off a ski jump, wildly bouncing and flipping down the slope, until he crashes through a protective barrier and coming to a halt before a gasping crowd of spectators. He was highlighted as the “poster boy” for the “agony of defeat.”


The nation saw Vinko’s fall so many times on prime time that he gained notoriety for his failure. As a result he was invited to the 20th anniversary of Wide World of Sports in 1981, where he was overwhelmed by those present who wanted his autograph, including famous athletes like Muhammad Ali. He was not only reminded of failure, he became famous for it!


Some of us feel that our defeats and failures are like Vinko’s, always in our face. Perhaps this is due to others constantly reminding us of our catastrophes. Most often it relates to an “internal prosecutor” that habitually drags before the judicial courtroom of our minds a variety of shortcomings, weaknesses, and sins. Whatever the source, the emotional burden this creates weighs us down and leaves us in a constant state of defeat. Even positive experiences are tainted with the failures of the past sucking the joy out of events that should otherwise encourage us.


King David was a man who became famous in the Bible for his failure. He sinned and his sin left an agonizing mark in his life as reflected in his testimony, “I know my transgression and my sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:3). These words were spoken by a man who had been involved in the sins of adultery, murder, cover-up, and hypocrisy. A caldron of defeat roiled in his heart marked by internal defeat and misery. He expressed the oppressive consequence of his sin saying, “When I kept silent [about his sinful failure], my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer” (32:3-4). The burden of unrepentant sin lay heavy upon his life.


However, David is also known for his famous repentance. He called out to God, “Have mercy on me… according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm 51:1-2). God in his grace answered his prayer to, “Restore to me the joy of my salvation” (51:12). Confidently he says, “You forgave the guilt of my sin” (32:5). This results in his joy-filled testimony, “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven” (32:1). He faced his sin. He confessed it as sin. He then joyfully celebrated God’s forgiveness by testifying how God can change a life that is willing to repent of sin and again follow God’s will.


What caused such celebration? Why did the inevitable reminder of his failure from others not crush him? How is it that his conscience did not continue to haunt him? The answer lies in His understanding of the character of God and how he deals with the sin of a repentant sinner. David writes, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love… he does not treat us as our sins deserve… as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (103:8, 10, 12). God’s servants have constantly reflected upon how gracious God is in dealing with repentant sinners. Jeremiah reveals that once God deals with sin he will “remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 43:31). Micah adds that God “pardons sin and forgives the transgression… and hurls all our iniquities into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18, 20). One Bible teacher humorously added, “Then he posts a sign and says, ‘No fishing!’”


As a boy I had been in a neighborhood fight in which a boy was hurt. I was forced to face the boy and his mother about what I had done. I pleaded for forgiveness and all the mother did was hold up bloody rags before my face screaming, “Look what you have done!” I was unforgiven, condemned, and crushed. For years I avoided even walking past the boy’s house due to the guilt I carried. Much later I came to realize that I had sinned against God too. I confessed my sin and God in his grace forgave me. A huge weight was removed from my life. I suppose in that mother’s eyes I could never undo my action, so how could I be forgiven. However, I knew that at least now I had been forgiven by a gracious God, who acknowledged my confession of guilt and was the one I will ultimately answer to for my life.


Are you feeling condemned for your sin? Perhaps a person will not forgive you for your failure or your offenses against them. Maybe your conscience condemns you for a sin. Has this caused you to be constantly confronted with the agony of defeat? Coming to the God of mercy, confessing sin, making restitution where possible, and relying upon God’s forgiveness, can alter your life’s perspective. The “agony of defeat” does not need to be the trademark of your life. A forgiven life can lead to an abundant life!