1 Timothy 6:12 says that we are to "Fight the good fight of faith." Hebrews 12:1-3 says, "...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
Why are we given these instructions? If we were to have the great fortune of winning every single time, we wouldn't need this sort of encouragement, would we? It's plain to see that we are going to have trials in this life, and some of them are going to be mighty big, my friend. We're going to lose people to death, to betrayal, to disease, to drugs and other addictions. We're going to endure painful hardships the likes of which we haven't even the heart to think of right now. There are close friends with whom we are not going to have the ability to share eternity, and that's perhaps the most heartbreaking part of it all. Some, no matter how many times they hear, no matter how many ways the story is told, no matter how much you beg or plead or prove or try or cry or pray, they're not going to listen.
Sometimes, you're going to lose.
But take heart, because the very One for whom and in whom we are living, though He emerged victorious, He has also felt the pain of loss. Everyone that hurts you, hurts Him. Everyone who betrays you, betrays Him. The pains of this world, that are common to this world, every single one affects Him as well. Remember the verse above, particularly the part that says, "Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
Sometimes, you're going to lose.
I used to play video games a lot as a kid growing up, most in arcades but also on Atari, Nintendo, you name it. Space Invaders, PacMan, even Pong. I loved that you always had the option to continue after your game was over. You could choose to put another quarter in and pick up right where you left off. Your little cartoon death wasn't the end. Your failure wasn't that bad. You could brush yourself off and, with the click of a joystick button, be right back up there climbing the rickety ladders to save the princess from the monkey. I saved her once or twice. I lost pretty often. I was spectacular at Galaga and Tetris but, no matter how honed my mad skillz were, I still made mistakes.
Sometimes, you're going to lose.
But don't lose heart. You can feel free to add whichever cliche you like best: Tomorrow is another day, all's well that ends well, every dog has its day, put another quarter in the game and continue, ad nauseum. But the real point is this: whether you win or lose, God's got it. It's in the palm of His hand. All you can do is your very best, all the time, praying all the while, and look to Him for guidance. Maybe you were meant to lose a particular game. Maybe the learning you'll do in the process is worth a thousand wins. Maybe, just maybe, God knows what He's doing, hmm? (Spoiler alert: He does!)
I just happened to write this footblog after TWO games: the tragic loss of last week, and the consequential win of this week. If you don't let yourself become deflated and lose heart after a loss, you're bound to get right back in the swing of things. Usually, I'm one to holler "GO BLUE!" at the top of my lungs, but in case you need a little bit of encouragement, I'll throw this one out there instead:
GO YOU!
Stephanie Jean
nice
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