Winning
We all like to win. In fact, I’d bet almost everything you do, you intend to win (whatever that means for you). Today, a young friend and I were messaging about politics (don’t worry, I’m not bringing our discussion into this). At the end of our messaging, he commented that the situation we were discussing, was worse than the Watergate scandal. I replied that winning at all costs became more important than playing by the rules.
I wanted to explore that with a couple of stories.
The first story is me in high school. When I attended, Drivers Education was a required course as a sophomore (probably a semester close to your 16th birthday). The teacher was one of the PE teachers (don’t get me wrong, we had some good and some not so good PE teachers that taught other things besides physical education), and while I never considered him an intellectual, he was a good drivers ed teacher. He was patient and didn’t overreact - exactly what you’d want a drivers Ed teacher to be like. He was explaining stop signs and yield signs to the class. He was emphasizing that regardless of the rules, you needed to be cautious about another driver not following the rules or making a mistake. One of the students asked about what one should do if you were in the right and the other car didn’t yield (it may have been me). He coined the phrase, “Better to be right and know it, than dead right.” I think about that lesson frequently as I’m driving (especially when I’m on my motorcycle - car drivers just have a hard time seeing motorcyclist). I am happy to report that being wary that the other driver may not follow the rules all the time has saved me from being in a few accidents.
The second story is more important. I played many a game with my son growing up. Sometimes, I played to win. Other times, I made mistakes playing so that he would win. I felt that it was important for him to learn how to both win and lose gracefully. As he got older, I made fewer “mistakes” and he gained confidence knowing that I was playing more and more to win. But win or lose, the graciousness of the outcome was consistent. Based on some of our conversations as an adult, I’m proud that he believes playing fair is an important objective too.
There have been lots of examples in my life where I have tried my hardest to win and ended up losing. I’ve tried to be a gracious winner and a gracious loser. I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t say it was hard being a gracious loser or that being a humble winner sometimes needs some work. It bothers me, a lot, when individuals don’t play fair and get away with it. I have to remind myself that God is in charge and the more important thing is how I “play the game.”
“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’” - Matthew 11:16-17 ESV
“Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes.” - 2 Chronicles 19:7
“But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” - 1 Corinthians 9:15-23
The world would be a better place if we all followed God’s rules rather than making up our own in order to win.
