Karen M. Wyatt, MD

It was all going to be so perfect: a bad-boy quarterback gets caught, pays his dues, returns to the game washed clean of his transgression and goes on to win the Superbowl as proof of his redemption. What a great story! But, it's fiction, of course, because life doesn't really work that way and neither does God. In the grand scheme of things, scoring touchdowns and winning the Superbowl don't really matter. God doesn't need you to give Him credit when you perform well or punish yourself when you make a mistake.  What really matters is that you embrace your losses with equanimity, perform your work with diligence and forgive your own shortcomings. Be patient, Ben. Growth requires consistency over a long period of time.  As far as redemption goes, you don't need a third Superbowl ring to prove you've earned it.  You were forgiven the moment you transgressed, for God holds no resentments.  Sometimes losing is the higher road that keeps you humble and honest, motivated to work even harder.  Sometimes losing really is the perfect outcome.