In Vain

Tonight England played San Marino in an International.  But the question is - why?  San Marino are the lowest ranked of 208 football nations and have lost every one of dozens of games they have played in competitive football.  If any team ever turned up in vain it is them.

 

In vain.  Only two small words, but they conjure up rotten thoughts for most of us.  At its least threatening it will be memories of queues that were endured only for the doorman to turn us away, the cashier to close or the shop shelf to prove empty.  We waited in vain.  Worse - much worse = an investment, an emigration, or a nation’s decision to go to war.  No-one wants such things to be in vain.

 

In literature the greatest and therefore most painful experience of acting in vain is summed up by, among others, the English poet Abraham Crowley,

 

A mighty pain to love it is,

and 'tis a pain that pain to miss;

but of all the pains,

the greatest pain is to love,

but love in vain.

 

Whatever else we do in vain, the last thing of all we want to do in vain is to love.  Yet in a myriad of broken relationships - spouse with spouse, child with parent, brother with sister - human beings inflict this emptiness upon one another so that whole swathes of lives appear to have been invested in vain.  Could any feeling be worse? Could anything be worse?

Unfortunately yes.  And there is a whole Bible book devoted to reflecting upon it.  Vanity of vanities, all is vanity, bewails the wisdom of Ecclesiastes.  “Let’s look at everything”, says the writer, “and look - it is all, from cradle to grave, from king to pauper, from nurture to wealth-creating, from history to hope - in vain.”  Life is Vanity Fair.

 

But then, as the Apostle Paul reflects on the Resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15) he in the living Christ the key of purposeful living:   For you know that your labour is NOT in vain in the Lord. 

Fabio

It took some getting used to, having an England football coach called Fabio Capello.  Surely that must be a musical instruction? Fabio didn't speak English but football is, I quote the Football Association, a universal language. 

No point in being sniffy about these things.  Our church frontage is Italianate (apparantly).  Why should we not integrate an Italian front to our national football team?  Success!!   Fabio led our national football team to a glorious qualification for the World Cup finals tournament in South Africa and then . . .

Then Fabio, previously known for his record of successive successes, became as English as apple pie.  He led us to ignominious sporting defeat.  Football is a universal language.  And everyone says the same thing - when England play in the World Cup they get knocked out by Germany (if someone hasn't knocked them out earlier, which very nearly happened).  Fabio speaks our language!  He's entered our culture!  He's integrated - one of us now - remembered for sporting defeat.

It was so different when he was appointed.  Then, from his very limited store of English vocabulary he uttered the priceless comment (on the prospect of being England football coach),

It is a beautiful challenge

That was a first.  No English coach has ever called it that.  Nor with the benefit of a wider vocabulary and the experience of failing will Fabio himself ever utter the phrase again.  A unique way to remember him.  It inspires me to a text from Ecclesiastes for Fabio;

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what He has done from beginning to end.

Fabio has certainly driven me to think less about football and more about eternity.  The rest is self explanatory. 

Except of course the text is really about God.  The unfathomable works of God are a cause for spiritual longing and praising His glory.  The unfathomable works of Fabio became a cause for switching TV channels and planning summer vacations instead.