If you watched the Warriors’ 20-15 victory over the Knights this past weekend, you’d be forgiven for feeling a little sorry for Newcastle.
They were the better team all game. Disciplined, patient, and in control. Up by one with seconds left on the clock, it looked like the Knights had done enough.
But footy can be brutal like that. The Warriors had one final shot, and it was a strange one—messy, unorthodox, and barely believable. The ball was charged down, ricocheted forward, and somehow, with the siren already sounding, the Warriors crossed for the match-winner.
Just like that, the Knights’ efforts counted for nothing on the scoreboard. All game long, they’d done the right things—and they still lost.
It’s a hard lesson, but one that doesn’t just apply to rugby league. It happens in our spiritual lives.
Sometimes, we do everything right. We try to live as God asks of us. We pray, go to Mass, love our families, forgive our enemies, try to make good decisions. We stay faithful. And still, we suffer. Still, we’re overlooked. Still, we don’t get the healing, the breakthrough, the miracle.
It can feel like God’s forgotten us. Like faithfulness and virtue don’t count.
But that’s not the full picture. The Knights might not have won on the day. They may even miss out on finals footy this year—but what they did was still worth something. Their discipline, their courage, their composure under pressure—none of it was wasted.
And in the same way, when we live faithfully before God, even if the rewards don’t come in this life, they matter for eternity.
The saints knew this. Many of them died poor, rejected, or misunderstood. But they didn’t live for comfort or recognition—they lived for Heaven. They kept their eyes fixed on the prize that never fades. And so must we.
Obedience to God’s will isn’t always rewarded in the short term. It might not get you the job you hoped for. It might not fix the health issue. It might not mend the relationship. But it will form your soul. And it will not go unnoticed by the God who sees everything.
We live in a world obsessed with instant results. But God plays the long game—an eternal one. What matters most isn’t whether we “win” every moment, but whether we remain faithful through them.
Jesus never said following him would be easy. But he did promise this: that if we lose our life for his sake, we will find it. That our reward will be great in Heaven.
So if you’re feeling like the Knights this week—like you’ve done everything right and still walked away empty—don’t lose heart.
It may not be in the way you expected or on a scoreboard you can see—but your efforts are seen. Your prayers are heard. And your faithfulness will not go unrewarded.
