Today’s society, primarily through the educational system, does not prepare children
for the losses they will experience. Forget grades and promotions, it might make little Johnny feel inferior. Then little Johnny grows up into manhood and thinks the world owes him a living and everything is supposed to go his way. Well guess what, it doesn’t.
I think it is a good thing for children to be involved in sports activities, as long as time is not reduced from God and family. Sadly, this is often the case. However, sports do teach children that one team must win, but they can’t both win. One must lose. If it is an activity like tennis, for example, one opponent must win, but the other must lose. Children need to learn how to win graciously, and how to lose graciously. Otherwise, they will have problems when they become adults.
In my opinion, much crime is committed today because adults didn’t learn when they were children that the world doesn’t owe them a living. We can’t expect everything to always go our way. Often it will not.
Someone else may get the girl you want. Are you going to become a stalker, or move on? There really are “more fish in the sea.”
You may not get the job you wanted, but perhaps you will be hired for the next one. Your promotion went south, but maybe you won’t be over-looked the next time.
Why do so many people today find it so difficult to face disappointments? Could it be that they never learned that someone has to lose sometimes?
Parents do their children an injustice by simply not saying to them, “Just do your best.” Your child may not be the star player on the team, but are they doing their best? Not everyone can be a “star,” but everyone can do their best. If you, or your child, are doing your best, but still lose, that is all anyone can ask.
“Encourage” your child to win if you like, but don’t “push” them to win. Don’t teach them that losing is for “losers.” Teach them how to lose with honor, because they will eventually lose. There is always someone who is better than we are at what we do.
Every one of us should strive to win. That doesn’t mean we necessarily come in first, but that we come in at our best. When we have done our best at whatever it is we have attempted, we are a winner.
Thousands of people in this country blame everyone else because they “didn’t get the same opportunities, or life just dealt them a bad hand.” In most cases, that’s hogwash. Real winners work very hard to be winners, and real losers work hard at avoiding what it takes to be real winners. Far too many have had the seed of laziness planted in their head, and prefer to live off the efforts of others, while they contribute little to nothing to society.
When children are given high marks they don’t deserve in school, what do you think they will expect when they enter adult society? That’s right, more of the same. They will expect to be catered to by others, whether they have earned it or not.
Nobody likes to lose or receive low marks, but we need those experiences to appreciate life. It is much more satisfying to earn a win because we put much work into it, than to win because it was given to us. If it is given to us, we are not a winner, but a taker.
There is one area in life where everyone may be a winner. Everyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ will win everything that God has to give. Everyone who refuses to put their faith in Jesus Christ will lose even their own soul. Jesus said,
“19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
As a child of God, we are winners. All that we have that is of real importance will never be lost or stolen, but kept safely in the hands of God.
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
As we cross the finish line of death, we are given the crown of eternal life as winners in Jesus Christ our Lord. Death and hell will have no power over us. We are winners!
“16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:16-17)
By the grace of God, we are “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” All that is His is ours because we are His, and we will be glorified with Him, because we are winners through Jesus Christ.
Grant Phillips
My articles are posted at “Pre-Rapture Commentary” http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com and at “Rapture Ready” http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html.
Even though I am very limited on time, I will respond to any who email me and request a reply, unless I sense they just want to argue.
