Failure is Good

             I noted that Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski was on the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED last week (along with Pat Summit.) It reminded me of an earlier story in the magazine that appeared back in 1992.

             “Coach K” knew only failure in his early years at Duke. Then, after his program began to win, he experienced consistent failure at the Final 4, culminating with an epic loss to UNLV in the 1990 championship game (103-73.)

            Rather than despair, Krzyzewski sought to learn from each failure. As SI put it, "It's an article of faith with Krzyzewski that failure and success are connected like cause and effect. ‘That's why losing at the Final Four has never been a bother to me,’ he says. ‘There was a bigger thing there.’”

            That attitude has paid off a number of times, including the Final 4 in 1991. Duke accomplished what may have been basketball’s greatest upset, defeating an undefeated UNLV team that some were calling the greatest of all time.

            The Bible offers a consistent message of hope and even redemption after failure. Another reason people often refer to it as “the Good News.”