You can watch races for a lifetime and you’ll never see more than a single smile at the finish line.
Psalm 20:6-8
We tend to think that if you don’t win, you’ve failed.
I remember as a kid, I hated the board game Monopoly. My brother and sister would always get more hotels than me and I’d just get mad and quit.
To make matters worse, they enjoyed watching my meltdowns. (I can’t really say I blame them on that. I did put on quite a show!)
But being a sore loser is not an attractive look for anyone – not even an 8-year-old!
There’s no doubt that losing can gnaw at your gut, regardless of how ridiculous the stakes are.
And some can handle it better than others. I’m not sure why because no one likes to lose but it is part of life.
Which brings me to the concept of “everyone gets a trophy”… I wonder if this idea is more for the parents than the kids. ?? At any rate, it has its obvious short-term benefits (for the parents as well as the kids) but do we really want our children to grow up thinking that way?
I’m no psychologist but training people to expect a crown for losing seems counterintuitive.
Life just isn’t that way.
But death is… for a Christian.
Today’s Tiny Words. Big Life. Bible verses come from Psalms and finds King David praying for God to grant him and his people victory over the troubles in their lives.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, God made prayer so that we can take our needs to Him and He will hear them.
But King David is also praying about his own mortality.
He wants to win in life but he also knows that God will give him victory in death.
The Tiny Words. Big Life. takeaway is this: Pray to win and lose well. Pray to show respect to others. Pray to do your best and be content in that. Praise God that we can live a victorious life through Jesus.
And the next time my brother or sister beats me in a game of Monopoly, I’m gonna pray for the chariots and horses to come down and wipe ’em out!
(Just kidding… sort of.) 🙂
Psalm 20:6-8
6 Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. 8 They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.)