For the seeker in everyone...

I am ecstatic to let the world know that the OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE FOR MY BOOK is March 31st! I am also slightly terrified. I am well aware of the risk I am taking with this. I think there is something in there to offend everybody...Catholics will be sad that I grew up among them, but didn't join the Catholic church; Christians might be annoyed that I poke fun at "Christian-ese" terms like "accepting Christ into your heart," "quiet times," and that I wrote extensively on why worship music makes me uncomfortable; and Jews will be angry because...well, the obvious reasons.

But, just like my position as a columnist for my campus newspaper, I didn't write this to make friends. I wrote it to share something close to my heart, something that God might use for good in the life of someone who has been where I've been, felt what I've felt.

Sometimes I'm so excited about my dream coming true I want to do cartwheels (I actually did do cartwheels in the break room at work when I checked my email on my phone and saw the cover for the first time), and other times, I want to rip my fingernails off in anxiousness of how people will react.

But, after praying profusely about it for 2 years, I know this is a risk I am willing to take. For every passage that has the possibility to offend, I think there are plenty more for people of all walks of life to identify with: parents who must reconcile with their children breaking from tradition; college students who are struggling to stand by a friend whom they believe is making an unwise choice...and anyone who has ever struggled with doubt and considered giving up on faith altogether. I truly believe there is something here for the seeker in everyone.

Here's to leaving my mark. And here's the link to, ya know, order it (if you want): http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Prodigal-Daughter-Sarahbeth-Caplin/dp/1612440673/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332527592&sr=1-1

The tale of the unlikely pariah... is getting published!

Holy crapcakes, guys. It's finally happening.

"It" is my lifelong dream of becoming a writer...a published writer. Check it out...

This is my biggest accomplishment to date, but more than that, it's also the most terrifying thing I'll ever do (for now). It's funny, because I started writing it two years ago not to eventually become a book, but because I was tired of not knowing how to answer the common question of "How exactly does a Jew end up becoming a Christian?" I ended up writing about 60 pages before actually getting to that part, because I realized this is a story that actually spans across my entire life. So what started as a personal essay ended up becoming a book.

I realize that I don't "have" to do this. But I feel like I need to, because I think my journey is important. I know that probably sounds arrogant, but I say this because the reality is, many churches do not include the rich history of the Old Testament in their sermons. Many churches are unaware of how to reach out to Jewish people without ostracizing them, making them feel "targeted" as they have been ever since the days of Moses. I have witnessed this in my own life from both sides of the spiritual fence now, and there is much work to be done to repair the relationship between Jews and Christians. My life has sort of become a testimony to that.

Aside from all the theological issues many people will disagree with, I'm prepared for the inevitable criticism about how I'm too young to write a memoir. By definition, a memoir is a self-indulgent work, but I didn't try to act like I was advanced enough in my faith to pretend to be another C.S. Lewis or Anne Lamott. This is a book to comfort others who might be in that "spiritual orphancy" state I was in for a while, not really feeling like they belong anywhere. It's a book for all the Jewish friends in my life who asked me "Why," and the Christian ones who asked me "How."

I don't think there's any "right" age where you're considered world-weary enough to write a book about your life, just like there's no "right" age to be married. If you have a story, then you should share it. Experience and age are two different things.

That being said, I didn't want to write a story from the perspective of someone who has everything figured out. Maybe I'll have a better idea of how this whole Christian thing works by the time I'm 60, but the journey probably won't be as relatable then. The age I am now is when I will make the decisions that determine the outcome of the rest of my life. If I waited until I was older to write this book, it probably wouldn't be as relevant to the young adult audience I am trying to reach. I don't want to be someone for others to look up to. I want to be someone who makes people say, "Thank goodness I'm not the only one who's been there/felt that way, I'm not weird after all!" Or something like that. That's all.

There's one passage I prize most in this book, about how Christians are called to be "pariahs" of this world. How can we not be? We don't conform to society's cultural norms. We stick out like sore thumbs with a "Puritanical" label for holding on to values that are as old as Adam and Eve. But me, well, I've always felt like a special kind of pariah. That's where the title comes from. One group thinks I've strayed...and the other says I've come home. It's an interesting, confusing place to be in.

Anyway, pre-ordering on Amazon will be available in 5-7 business days... If ten people end up reading it, that will still be worth it to me. The people who are meant to read it will find it. Or so I hope.

Religion is not a crutch to me

The day before the shootings in Chardon, the topic of discussion in church was about Job. Now if that's just a coincidence, I beg to differ.

I don't understand how nihilism benefits anyone. Are tragic events really the random product of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Accidents that ultimately have no meaning, so we suck up the pain and get on with life?

I do not understand how any of this is encouraging to people struggling with grief. It's interesting for me to analyze the many ways that people make or break with religion. It seems there are two kinds of religious people: those who quit when life throws them too many curveballs, or those who lean into it like they never have before when it's all they have left.

This brings up the old cliche about the way many people perceive faith: it's a comfort mechanism, something to provide solace in the face of tragedy. It's "nice" to imagine our loved ones smiling and happy in heaven as we are grieving for them here on earth. It's healing for us to imagine they aren't suffering anymore.

But this brings up a crucial misconception of what faith is (or, in this case, what it isn't). I think the real tragedy here is that so many Christians and non-Christians alike have this idea that a life lived for God is a life of comfort. Well, we need not look any further than all the countless saints who suffered throughout history, not to mention Jesus Christ himself, to know that this is not true.

Faith is risky. Faith makes us vulnerable. It does not guarantee safety. It doesn't shield us from heartbreak.

So why is it worth it?

Because we can know that suffering, in any form, is never wasted. It is not random or meaningless. Maybe this knowledge is still perceived as comfort food for some, but using religion as a "crutch" just to get through a bad time does not produce refinement of character or a stable foundation of strength...we have to understand that no one is immune to suffering regardless of how "good" they are. The friends of Job from the Old Testament were convinced that he must have done something awful to deserve all the boils and the loss of his family...but no one has higher standing than another because of how "moral" they are.

All of us are vulnerable, but none of us is excluded from belonging to something bigger than ourselves. It's simply unrealistic to expect that that "master plan" can take place without some degree of pain.

To make beautiful things out of dust

Not gonna lie...I wasn't nearly as excited for this year's "Women's Weekend" as my other female church friends were. Why? Because I remember how much I cried at last year's. Don't let the promotional videos fool you; it's not all giggling and pillow fighting and junk food gorging (although there was plenty of all those things, but that's not the point).

The point is for the women of h2o to have their one little getaway to learn from older, wiser women about struggles that are, well, relevant to being Christian women in the 21st century. Actually, the theme this year could be applicable to men as well, but we don't have to tell them that ;) This year we talked about the Waiting Period that the Old Testament writers referred to as a desert. For us it's a spiritual desert, but for them it was literal...we've heard of how the the Jews spent 40 years wandering, yearning for what was promised to them...what God promises to all of us is a life of purpose if we follow him. But, he never promises it will be an easy, hassle-free experience.

Last year's Women's Weekend, I bawled so much my stomach hurt. I was convicted after listening to the speaker's struggle to reclaim her identity after struggling with an unhealthy relationship, both spiritually and emotionally. It was a moment where I realized, once and for all, that I needed to make some changes in my life. It was the weekend I met one of my best friends, a girl who listened to my sob story even though she didn't know me that well, and let me crash on her couch at 1 in the morning on a school night when I finally understood what I had to do...it was my turn to break free.

It was one of the hardest, yet most necessary things I've ever done, even harder than telling my Jewish parents in Israel of all places that I've become a Christian.

I do not regret leaving for a single second. I only regret the time that was wasted believing that I wasn't good enough, pretty enough, smart enough or whatever enough to be loved. I learned this all of last year, and it was reinforced at Women's Weekend 2012: That is a lie straight from Satan himself, and as the father of lies, he makes up that crap from his own resources. I didn't realize just how offensive it was to God himself to look in the mirror and hate the person staring back at me. It's like insulting someone's personal artwork, telling them that a blind 2 year old could do better. And yet, this is what I believed about myself for far too long.

It has been a year since I made all these changes. I am not done growing yet. I am not done healing yet. But by the grace of God, I am making so, so much progress.

That friend that I met at Women's Weekend last year? She sent me a link to a tumblr called Project Unbreakable. Using art and photography, this amazing site gives people a chance to "take the power back of the words that were once used against them." The result is breath-taking. I decided to submit a photo of my own, and given how many photos they must receive, I don't expect them to publish mine any time soon, so I'm putting it here:

After sharing my testimony so many times during Leadership Training this summer, I think I'm at a point where I can do so without falling apart. I want to use my life as a witness for the glory God has done in my life, and to let other people know that they never have an excuse to be hopeless. A song by Gungor says "You make beautiful things out of the dust" and it's true. Being crippled is a state of mind. We are not defined by our circumstances. Adversity is often the very foundation that gives meaning to our lives.

But it's something you have to choose. And you have to allow God to surprise you in ways you might never expect. Don't believe me, well, my life is proof.

Taking back the blame

More reflections on what I'm learning from volunteering, and moving beyond my own past experiences.

I'm not sure how I feel about the term "Slutwalks," because I think there are some derogatory words that have too much stigma attached to be "taken back." But I support the purpose behind them. I've been giving this recent movement a lot of thought lately after the last training session at the crisis center. We were given a list of common scenarios where women (and sometimes men) are assaulted...and society will insist they were "asking for it." We advocates were assigned the task of labeling each scenario on a scale of 1 to 10 as far as personal responsibility is concerned: 1 being not at all responsible, and 10 being completely responsible.

There was a description of a drunk girl at a fraternity party. A woman walking home alone in a short skirt. Another woman who was assaulted by a couple who picked her up while hitch-hiking, and more.

I admit that I hesitated for many of these. Some answers seemed obvious...clearly, a drunk girl is not capable of consenting to sex. But the woman who hitch-hiked? Don't we all know that hitch-hiking is dangerous? Didn't that woman walking home alone know to use the buddy system?

Ultimately, the common denominator in each of these scenarios is this: that no victim deserved what she got. It seemed unlikely at first that each of these situations should be looked at under the same lens. But then I asked myself, how many times have I made decisions that put my safety at risk? How many times have you done that? Or dared to let your guard down around someone you happen to trust? Does every person who makes an unwise decision deserve to get raped or assaulted for it? What about those who had good reason to never see it coming?

I'm not concerned with the mentality of the people who drink around strangers, dress provocatively, or sleep around. What concerns me more is why this culture seems to have more sympathy for victims of murders and robberies than victims of rape and sexual assault. Why are those last two crimes put in an isolated "You should have known better" category?

We spend so much time telling young girls to always guard their drinks, to watch how they dress, how much they flirt. We tell them "Don't get raped!" instead of telling men "Don't rape!" Why is there not nearly as much emphasis on telling would-be assailants to keep their hands and genitals to themselves? It's a basic rule of kindergarten, to not touch what doesn't belong to you.

I think the biggest shame is that many of the "slut shamers" happen to be women who are just as much at risk themselves, whether they go out in short skirts or thick trenchcoats. The blame for sexual assault belongs solely on the person who commits it, and anyone who says otherwise would surely think differently if it happened to them.

I was one of those "It can't happen to me" women. And that is how my ministry began.

To be continued...

The story within the story

Disclaimer: I decided to do a mini-series of sorts about my reactions to the things I am learning while volunteering at a crisis center. This is also motivated by the upcoming one-year mark of when I closed a particularly painful chapter in my life, and when my name change was declared legal.

The question is this: What would you do if someone you were in a relationship with was hurting or severely disrespecting you? How would you react?

It’s an impossible scenario for most of us. Who wants to consider such an awful breach of trust? How can we really know how we’d react until, God forbid, it actually happens?

I thought I knew my answer. I simply wouldn’t stand for it. I’d fight like hell. I’d end the relationship. I’d do anything but be passive and compliant. Doing nothing, I rationalized, is like enabling the bad behavior. And I sure as hell would not enable such blatant disrespect, especially when the woman being disrespected was my own self.

I was seventeen at the time I thought I knew everything (but what seventeen-year-old doesn’t think that?). And that’s what I was so sure I would do if the situation happened to me.

But, as hindsight likes to remind me, I was too young to assume such things.

Can I say why it took so long for me to stand up for myself? Not really. There are many reasons, some that make sense, and others that don’t. But that’s hardly the point. What matters now is that I am wiser and less judgmental for having experienced something I put down untold scores of women for. When I look into the hurting faces of future clients, I may see traces of Sarah in them…and I’ll have to remember that the little hurting Sarah is what helped create the Sarahbeth I felt called to be after my baptism. The two are inseparable, much to my chagrin. But that is the truth.

What does it feel like to have hindsight bite you in the butt for failing to notice things that were so obvious to others, but easily excusable to you? It’s something like this…it’s like going through the motions of everyday life in a zombified state. It’s like having outbursts of anger for what seems like no apparent reason, for even the smallest of offenses. It’s like forgetting how to be your once cheerful, perky self, and having to re-learn basic social skills when mingling with new people (especially if those people are customers at your job). It takes a while to re-learn all those basic skills. But it does happen.

What does it feel like to re-learn your true identity after feeling like the one you were born with wasn’t good enough? It’s like comparing yourselves to other people you admire, people you wish you could be like, only to find out that they have struggles too, and maybe they’re comparing themselves to you because for some odd reason, they think you’re the one who has it all together. It’s like begging for compliments to remind yourself of what you’re good at, but over time you remember why it is that people seem to love you, to trust you, and call you their friend. It’s like throwing yourself into serving the needs of others to bring some glory, however small, into this piece of hell that will – yes, it will! – get a little smaller with every passing day. 

You can’t ever know how you’ll react to something until it actually happens to you. It doesn’t help to speculate over what ifs. But it helps to be prepared. Being prepared is to know that anything that happens to you doesn’t have to leave you broken. It just leaves you with a story to tell.

What singleness has taught me

I have heard almost every cliche in the book about singlehood. But here is what I have learned about cliches...they have to be true enough times in order to become over-used and Hallmark-worthy. And in the nature of relationships, actions without a genuine heart behind them don't always result in the kind of satisfaction we crave.

I've had this little blue note card for several years now, since the beginning of high school (now that feels like a million years ago). It has multiple Bible verses on patience and perseverance, and promises that God will fulfill the desires of our hearts if we learn to be content in him first, and that the moment we stop looking for love, that is the moment it will come to us. It was given to me by a good friend with the best of intentions, and for many years, I fully believed the words on that card. I lived by them. I genuinely did not believe that God would show me the person I was meant to be with if I did not learn to be...cue the inevitable gags...content in my singleness first.

In other words, I started to accept I might as well be single for life.

I don't think the advice on that little card is bad. There is some validity in learning to be content in your current circumstances to prepare for the future, and I have heard stories time and time again from people who swear that the moment they decided to swear off the entire male species, viola! There Mr. Right appeared.

It seemed, as you may already be thinking, a little too good to be true. And in many ways, it is.

The attitude of "doing nothing" -- no chasing, no Facebook stalking, no making the first move -- is found in many women's magazines as well as many churches. The point is that women typically (though certainly not in every case) want to be pursued. It's the "man's job." And it seems that the inevitable result of soaking up that advice is a lot of restless pining and senseless wishing, not really doing anything productive with our time...because as much as we remind ourselves it's all worthwhile, the reality is that we do not care at all to better ourselves. We're just doing whatever it takes to get the man.

And it was that defeatist attitude that sank me low enough to believe it would never happen for me. Sure, there is more independence in singlehood, I guess, but it hardly seemed fulfilling when compared to the thought of a relationship. I would pray all the right things, to make the most of this "dry season," but all the while I'd be thinking in the back of my mind "I've been enduring this *cough cough* patiently God, now can you send someone to love me??"

And his answer was: "Nope. Not yet. Keep waiting." Grrrrrrrrrr.

It was the right advice, though. Because eventually I reached a point where I wasn't content, per se, in my circumstances, I just gave up trying to change them. I committed myself to two things for the year I'd spend at home before grad school: going to church, and all the other churchy things that entails, and finding a job. I threw myself into those tasks, expecting to grow in perseverance and my worst enemy, patience. That mission became my biggest priority.

Barely three months at home, my circumstances changed completely. I still feel undeserving and I am still in disbelief, but I am so, so incredibly grateful.

But I have realized something very crucial. I don't think I would be fully prepared for this new stage of my life if not for the following truth: no human being is capable of satisfying the longings we feel. Furthermore, complete and ultimate satisfaction that doesn't lack for anything is just not available on this side of heaven. It can't be, because circumstances on earth are too temporary. We can't know what will happen tomorrow or even in the next few minutes, and if we base our happiness on something that can be taken from us (even if that taking is involuntary, like by accident or illness), then what will we have when it's gone? What happens to our identity then?

I may want to eat these words someday, but from where I am right now, I honestly believe I can handle almost anything once I have grasped this fact: that no blessing I am given in this life is a right; it is a privilege. And if, for whatever reason, it is taken from me before I can learn to appreciate it fully, I will accept the joy of knowing that I had been given a gift...and the God I serve is not a one-blessing-per-lifetime kind of guy. The cool part is, those blessings have absolutely nothing to do with my own good deeds! They are all unmerited favor!

A gift or a blessing is not the same as a promise: only the promise is permanent. And that promise is this...

I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in my shall never thirst. John 6:35

What the pro-life stance is NOT

I was one of many Facebookers who posted a status about the Right to Life March on Capitol Hill today. I posted the following quote from Blessed Mother Teresa:

America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe vs. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts--a child--as a competitor, an intrusion and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the dependent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters. And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners.

I didn't choose that quote to demonize those who have had an abortion, or who happen to be pro-choice. I chose it because of how well it illustrates the pro-life stance. Politics may have its sticky hand involved in this issue, but ultimately, it's not about the politics. It's not a battle between the parties. This is an issue of human rights; whether you are arguing for the rights of the mother, the unborn child, or you're not sure where you stand. Either way, what pro-lifers and pro-choicers can both agree on is that the world would be a better place if abortion wasn't needed.

I don't think pro-choice people are cold-hearted. I don't think they have a lack of respect for human life. I know that no woman ever relishes the idea of having an abortion. There are some pro-lifers who would like to have you think otherwise, but I don't represent that line of thinking.

I have seen many people today post things along the lines of "You [the pro-life community] don't know what it's like not to have a voice." Well, actually, we do. To quote Ronald Reagan, "Everyone who is in favor of abortion has already been born." 

While I can't speak for everyone who is pro-life, I would like to give the majority of them the benefit of the doubt and assume they are pro-life for the following reasons, as am I:

Pro-lifers lobby on behalf of the rights of the fetus, who is utterly defenseless and voiceless. The pro-life perspective believes that life begins at conception, and is no less viable than an already-born baby.

Pro-lifers do not see a difference between abortion, and taking a gun to your neighbor's head. If abortion is a form of murder, then it makes no sense to compromise and live by the "what's good for you may not be good for me" philosophy. Just as we have laws in this country against actions that harm other people, the pro-life person cannot, in good conscience, accept abortion as a choice that may be reasonable for some, but not for others.

Being pro-life has nothing to do with stigmatizing women who choose to have sex outside of marriage. It has nothing to do with wanting to go back to the dark ages where women were regarded as nothing more than baby-making machines. It has nothing to do with condemning women who do not wish to become mothers.

The ONLY agenda that a pro-lifer has is to save the lives of children. To say that the pro-life stance includes condemnation, especially of non-Christian individuals, is an unfair stereotype projected by outspoken media hypocrites. A true pro-lifer would never support the bombing of abortion clinics, or the killings of abortion doctors. To allow such people to speak for every person against abortion is no different than allowing the terrorists of 9/11 to speak for all Muslims.

I wish more people could understand that you don't have to be religious to be pro-life. I wish more people could understand that you can consider yourself a proponent of women's rights and still be pro-life. Yes, the foster care system is over-burdened, but the pro-life person does not understand how the killing of unborn, yet viable children rectifies that already messed up situation.

There is much to be understood about both perspectives on abortion, but there is no chance of ever reaching a solution if both groups continue to hold on to untrue stereotypes about each other. The quest for understanding goes nowhere until pro-choicers accept that, for the pro-lifer, an unborn child is just as valuable as one who is already born. THAT, above everything else, is the crux of the pro-life movement.

An overflowing cup of mercy

So...remember how I decided to give my friend Anna my last $20 for her mission trip to Amsterdam, all the while praying that God would use that donation to teach me a lesson on faithfulness? Well...

Since that post was written, I have applied to 10+ other local restaurants, department stores, and grocery stores...and I am now an official employee at Panera!! I walked in for an open interview session, was one of the first to arrive, and 15 minutes later, I got hired. Ohh isn't God just awesome?!! Who'd have thunk it?

And, I start my volunteer position at the crisis center this Wednesday. Now that it's coming up, I am feeling a little bit anxious. What if it does turn out to be too much for me to handle? Does this mean I have to completely re-think my career plans?

I shouldn't assume the worst just yet. Well, I shouldn't even be assuming the worst at all (remember your resolution, Sarahbeth!). See, Jesus and I have been having some talks lately (yes, talks). And this is what I think he is telling me:

SB, for a long time you wished that someone could have shared with your 17-year-old self the lessons on relationships you know now. But you know that there was no way you could have learned those lessons without allowing your heart to be broken first. Think of this opportunity as your second chance. You are in a place of privilege to share with other women the lessons you learned in your time of depression. You can use that pain to change their lives.

Still, I am very nervous, and if anyone feels compelled to pray for me...I would deeply appreciate it.

And now, some more puppy cuteness. I think we have figured out which puppy is Dodger from the first picture we saw of the litter:

Altogether now: Awwwwwwww!

Winners, losers, and the faith of Tim Tebow

Yes, I am jumping into the media frenzy about Tim Tebow. I didn't want to, I really didn't...but just like the Very Kardashian Divorce train wreck, there are people saying things about him that are accurate...and some things that are based in misconceptions about Christianity which, once again, give non-believers a flawed picture of who God is...and who he is not.

It may surprise some people to hear that I'm not an avid Tebow fan. But from what I hear of him, he seems very...genuine. He's one of the few outspoken Christians in the media today who seems to walk his talk, and has yet to be caught with a sex tape or some kind of ponzi scheme. For that, I can respect him. He's under so much pressure and so much scrutiny, yet he's barely a year older than I am and seems to be handling it well. For that, I can respect him.

But, when it comes down to it, Tim Tebow is a football player...and I really don't have much interest in football. There doesn't seem to be anything truly remarkable about his skills as a quarterback, from what I hear, which is why I'm sure so many people can't stand him -- because his personal convictions are more popular than his game. I can appreciate the frustration that comes with shining a spotlight on a decent, but not legendary player for his outspoken religious beliefs as opposed to giving that attention to one with more winning experience, but less faith.

My issue is when people say that Tebow has no business thanking God for his winning streak, because certainly God has better things to do than pay attention to a mindless football game. I know football isn't mentioned in the Bible, but how can people say that for sure? If God is a personal God (and I think he is) then wouldn't he care about the things that we care about? Wouldn't he be the one to whom players credit their athletic abilities, if God gives everyone unique talents and gifts?

The other issue to consider is whether God picks favorites...that somehow, the Denver Broncos are held in higher favor as opposed to any other team. Some people on my Facebook friends list have asked the question of what will happen to Tebow's faith now that the winning streak has ended. I am very impressed by his response:

"Sometimes I pray before games, during games, after games ... regardless whether I win or lose … whether [I'm] the hero or the goat, it doesn't matter, I still honor the Lord and give Him glory because He's deserving of it. Just like my faith shouldn't change, neither should that … You can still honor the Lord with how you handle things." (http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/01/15/patriots-stop-tim-tebow-why-he-will-be-missed/)

Not what most people would expect, is it? It shows a stark contrast between those who put their trust in God's sovereignty, knowing that his plans are not always our plans, and have the maturity to understand the difference...and those who treat God like a cosmic vending machine, a creator who waits on the beck and call of his created. It's not being self-righteous to say that God was with Tebow as he lead the Broncos to victory, but it's biblically inaccurate to suggest that God's favor is dependent on what we can do for him with our own flawed abilities, as opposed to what God already did for us.

We're a society who loves winners. Our loyalties sway with whoever is at the top of their game at a given time. If that team falters, we're quick to switch sides (Cleveland Browns/Cavs, anyone?). Does anyone ever take time to consider that some of our greatest "wins" come out of our most devastating losses?

And no, I'm not just referring to sports.