“Mommy, will I always win?” he asks, with a glimmer of wonder blanketing his eyes.
“No, you won’t always win. You will sometimes lose and really, Spencer, it’s a good thing to lose,” I answer
He chews on this a moment but I can see he’s still not connecting the dots in his four year old brain.
“Why is it good to sometimes lose?” he wonders out-loud, sure that his old mom won’t have a good answer for this.
And I don’t. But apparently, God does.
Without even thinking, I reply. “Because it’s only when we lose that we learn more about God and more about ourselves so really, in the end, we win. And when we lose, it also makes the times when we win that much more fun. Make sense?”
More pondering. Just when I think he hasn’t heard me and I’ve spoken over his realm of understanding, he quietly answers, “Yes.”
And there in my kitchen, on a Sunday afternoon as I unload the dishwasher, Jesus speaks to me yet again through my children.
Sometimes we are going to lose. Sometimes things aren’t going to go the way we want them to go and we wither in defeat, certain that God couldn’t be on our side.
But in the fire of the Refiner, those who enter in humility will never exit a loser. Ever.
In this case, we all get a trophy.
Regardless of where we walk in our day-to-day, regardless of the trials we must consciously choose to overcome through His strength, regardless of how unfair we think it all can be, we win.
And yes, it’s cliche, but this means that love wins.
Life isn’t about the product. It’s not about that trophy after all.
It’s about the journey. The process of living and the scope of knowledge that ingratiates into our being and fills us with a wisdom that can only come from walking closely with the Creator of the universe. There is no pecking order, no hierarchy. Progress is achieved in the process.
Just wisdom. And that’s enough.
But many who are first will be last, and the last first. – Matthew 19:30
What have you learned when you’ve been on the losing side?
Thanks for this Natalie.
God’s been teaching me to take time to slow down, (or stop!), breathe in my kids, and try to stay calm and gentle. To model grace and humility. To try to encourage each child equally, even if one seems to be on my nerves a lot more often. (is that horrible?) To pay more attention to the one that IS on my nerves, because maybe his errant behavior is trying to tell me something. To be more intentional and present in all that I do. Whew. No wonder I have a headache today. :)
Hi Natalie!
This is really good. I just finished listening to a sermon by the pastor of Elevation church titled “It’s a Calling not a Competition” The pastor echoed many of the points that you did; mainly the embracing the process.
God has been teaching me to rejoice in my sufferings and appreciate the character being developed. He’s been teaching me to trust in His sovereignty; to walk in obedience. God has also been teaching me that sometimes His love is demonstrated in His discipline–a harsh reality. And last He’s teaching me to enjoy the journey even when the road is rocky and painful. I’m truly becoming a much better woman and whole as a result.
Thank you for this wonderful reminder that no matter what–we win.